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A 


0 


ternary  1984  75p 


1 


ar  gaming  strategies 
Developing  story-lines 

Compressing  graphics 


LORDS  OF  TIME 


Joins  our  range  of  acclaimed  pure-text  puzzle  adventures,  at  £9.90,  for: 
BBC  32K  COMMODORE  64  SPECTRUM  48K  LYNX  48K  NASCOM  32k  ORIC  48K  ATARI  32K 


ADVENTURE  I 
REVIEWS 

"Adventures  which  have  a 
fast  response  time,  are 
spectacular  in  the  amount 
of  detail  and  number  of 
locations,  and  are  available 
to  cassette  owners  . .  I  am 
extremely  impressed  . .  The 
Level  9  Adventures  are 
superbly  designed  and 
programmed,  the  contents 
first  rate.  The  implementa- 
tion of  Colossal  Cave 
(Adventure)  is  nothing  short 
of  brilliant;  rush  out  and  buy 
it.  While  you're  at  it,  buy 
their  others  too.  Simply 
smashing!" 

-SOFT,  Sept  83 

"I  found  Dungeon 
exceedingly  well  planned 
and  written,  with  a  fast 
response.  There  are  well 
over  200  locations  and  the 
descriptions  are  both 
lengthy  and  interesting.  The 
objects  number  about  100. 
It  could  therefore  take 
some  months  to  explore 
the  whole  network,  giving 
many  hours  of  enjoyment  in 
the  process." 

-C&VG,  Sept  83 

"The  descriptions  are  so 
good  that  few  players  could 
fail  to  be  ensnared  by  the 
realism  of  the  mythical 
worlds  where  they  are  the 
hero  or  heroine  . .  great  fun 
to  play." 

-Which  Micro?,  Aug  83 

"My  appetite  has  been 
whetted  and  I  intend  to  get 
my  own  copy  (of  Snowball) 
to  play." 

-What  Micro?,  Dec  83 


MIDDLE  EARTH  ADVENTURES 

1:  COLOSSAL  ADVENTURE 

A  complete,  full  size  version  of  the  classic  mainframe  game 
"Adventure"  with  70  bonus  locations  added. 

2:  ADVENTURE  QUEST 

Centuries  have  passed  since  the  time  of  Colossal  Adventure 
and  evil  armies  have  invaded  The  Land.  The  way  is  long  and 
dangerous;  but  with  cunning  you  can  overcome  all  obstacles 
on  the  way  to  the  Black  Tower,  source  of  their  demonic 
power,  and  destroy  it. 

3:  DUNGEON  ADVENTURE 

The  trilogy  is  completed  by  this  superb  adventure,  set  in  the 
Dungeons  beneath  the  shattered  Black  Tower.  A  sense  of 
humour  is  essential! 

THE  FIRST  SILICON  DREAM  ADVENTURE 

1:  SNOWBALL 

The  first  of  Pete  Austin's  second  trilogy.  The  giant  colony 
starship,  Snowball  9,  has  been  sabotaged  and  is  heading  for 
the  sun  in  this  massive  game  with  7000  locations 


ADVENTURE 
REVIEWS 

"This  has  to  be  the  bargain 
of  the  year.  If  adventures 
are  your  game  then  this 
(Colossal  Adventure)  is 
your  adventure." 

-HCW,5Sept83 

"Colossal  Adventure  is 
simply  superb.  Anyone  who 
wishes  to  use  adventures  in 
an  educational  setting 
really  must  use  and  see  this 
program  as  it  emulates 
Crowther  and  Wood's 
masterpiece  so  well.  For 
those  who  wish  to  move 
onto  another  adventure  of 
similar  high  quality, 
Dungeon  Adventure  is  to  be 
recommended.  With  more 
than  200  locations,  700 
messages  and  100  objects 
it  will  tease  and  delight!" 

-  Educational  Computing,  Nov  83 

Colossal  Adventure  is 
included  in  Practical 
Computing's  Top  10  games 
choice:  "Poetic,  moving  and 
tough  as  hell." 

-  PC,  Dec  83 

"To  sum  up,  Adventure 
Quest  is  a  wonderful 
program,  fast,  exciting  and 
challenging.  If  you  like 
adventures  then  this  one  is 
for  you" 

-NILUG4t=1.3 

"Colossal  Adventure  . .  For 
once  here's  a  program  that 
lives  up  to  its  name  . .  a 
masterful  feat.  Thoroughly 
recommended" 
-  Computer  Choice,  Dec  83 

"wholly  admirable" 

-  Your  Computer,  Sept  83 


THE  LORDS  OF  TIME  SAGA 

7:  LORDS  OF  TIME 

Our  congratulations  to  Sue  Gazzard  for  her  super  design  for 
this  new  time  travel  adventure  through  the  ages  of  world 
history.  Chill  to  the  Ice-age,  go  romin'  with  Caeser's  legions, 
shed  light  on  the  Dark  Ages  etc.  etc  We'll  be  selling  this 
game  mail-order  from  January  1  st. 


Price:  £9.90  each  (inclusive) 

Level  9  adventures  are  available  from  good  computer  shops, 
or  mail-order  from  us  at  no  extra  charge  Please  send  order, 
or  SAE  for  catalogue,  to: 

LEVEL  9  COMPUTING 

Dept  V,  229  Hughenden  Road,  High  Wycombe,  Bucks 
HP13  5PG 

Please  describe  your  Computer 


Editor 

Graham  Cunningham 

Assistant  Editor 

Carmel  Anderson 

Software  Editor 

Graham  Taylor 

jttaster  3bbenturers 

Tony  Bridge 
Mike  Grace 

Editorial  Secretary 

Cleo  Cherry 

Advertisement  Manager 

David  Lake 

Advertisement  Executive 

Simon  Langston 

Administration 

Theresa  Lacy 

Managing  Editor 

Brendon  Gore 

Publishing  Director 

Jenny  Ireland 

Telephone  number 

(all  departments) 
01-437  4343 

UK  address 
Micro  Adventurer,  12-13  Little  Newport 
Street,  London  WC2R  3LD 

US  address 
Micro  Adventurer,  c/o  Business  Press 
International,  205  East  42nd  Street,  New 

York,  NY  10017 

Subscriptions 

UK  £10.00  for  12  issues,  overseas  surface 
(excluding  US  and  Canada)  £16  for  12 
issues,  US  and  Canada  air-lifted  US$33.95 

for  12  issues. 

Micro  Adventurer  is  published  monthly  by 
Sunshine  Books,  Scot  Press  Ltd.  Typesetting  by 
In-Step  Ltd,  77  Farringdon  Road,  London 
EC1.  Printed  by  Eden  Fisher  (Southend)  Ltd, 
Southend-on-Sea,  Essex.  Distributed  by  SM 
Distribution,  London  SW9  (telephone  01-274 
8611,  lelex:  261643).  ISSN  0265-4156. 
Registered  at  the  Post  Office  as  a  newspaper. 
©  Sunshine  Books  1984. 


n  nmlcron 


Letters 


4   Two  war  games  examined  28 


Your  opinions  on  adventures,  a  place  to 
turn  to  for  help,  and  some  advice  from 
fellow  adventurers 


Ron  Stewart  studies  two  popular  war  games 
and  offers  advice  to  the  budding  general  or 
admiral 


News  8 


Two  educational  games  from  Shards  and 
Hewson's  tell  how  Frazer  Hubbard  solved 
their  Quest  Adventure  in  record  time 


Turning  a  fantasy  into  code  31 

Andrew  Pepper  explains  how  an  adventure 
game  is  converted  into  code  by  using  a 
special  database  which  in  turn  makes  the 
working  program  relatively  easy  (front  cover 
illustration  by  Stuart  Hughes) 

Your  Adventures  34 

Readers'  programs  this  month  include 
Castaway,  a  game  for  the  ZX  Spectrum  and 
LEFTS,  RIGHTS  and  MIDS  equivalents 
also  for  the  Spectrum 


A  world  of  your  own  10 

Mike  Grace  delves  into  the  processes 
involved  in  planning  a  detailed  story  line 
when  writing  your  own  adventures 

A  micro  learns  English  19 

Lyman  Alpha  says  that  no  matter  how 
complicated  it  may  seem,  the  process  by 
which  a  computer  acquires  the  skills  of 
English  comprehension  is  really  quite  simple 


Adventure  File  41 

The  most  comprehensive  list  available  of 
war  games,  life  simulations  and  adventures 

Adventure  Help/Contact  48 

Write  to  Tony  Bridge  if  you  need  help  or 
have  some  to  offer  —  or  try  our  contact 
column  if  you  want  to  reach  fellow  adven- 
turers 


Software  Inventory  23 

Want  to  know  what  the  new  releases  are 
like?  Look  no  further,  here  you'll  find 
House  of  Death  for  the  Oric  and  The  Korth 
Trilogy  from  Puffin,  which  includes  a 
variety  of  game-styles  and  tests  your  logic 


Competition  Corner  50 

Pleased  with  your  past  efforts  Tisch  sets 
another  task  for  you  —  to  find  the  ancient 
Runic  rings  of  her  ancestors  and  for  your 
trouble  you  could  win  Alpha  Dawn,  part 
one  in  the  Star  Frontiers  series  from  TSR 


EDITORIAL 


THERE'S  AN  AMERICAN  pop  song  that  goes  "When  I  look  back  at  all  the  crap  I 
learned  in  high  school,  it's  a  wonder  I  can  think  at  all".  Now  we  wouldn't  argue  that 
adventures  could  be  useful  in  school  in  terms  of  supplying  you  with  knowledge  which 
might  (or  might  not  as  the  case  may  be)  prove  useful  later.  For  example,  you're  not  going 
to  learn  the  names  of  all  the  world's  capitals  by  playing  adventures  (although  you  might 
acquire  an  intimate  knowledge  of  one  seedy  part  of  London),  nor  will  you  learn  your 
multiplication  tables  (although  Pimania  has  a  few  geometrical  pointers).  But  in  terms  of 
encouraging  memory,  analysis  and  decision-making  there's  a  lot  to  be  said  for  adventures. 
And  if  Edward  de  Bono  is  right  and  lateral  thinking  overtakes  logic,  adventures  would 
make  an  ideal  educational  tool. 

Tongue-in-cheek,  you  could  even  advance  an  argument  in  favour  of  bad  adventures  — 
the  ones  with  limited  vocabularies  would  certainly  reassure  a  child  at  kindergarten  ("Look, 
mummy,  I  know  more  words  than  the  computer").  But  to  take  our  tongues  out  of  our 
collective  cheeks  it  does  seem  odd  that  teachers  are  ignoring  the  educational  opportunities 
provided  by  adventures. 

Exactly  why  should  adventures  be  excluded  from  that  pat  category  educational 
software?  (Hands  up  anybody  who  answered  "Because  they're  enjoyable".)  Admittedly 
some  excellent  software  has  been  developed  to  aid  rote-learning  for  younger  children  — 
but  why  stop  there?  Good  adventures  encourage  players  to  discover  and  explore  (at  no 
literal  risk  to  life  or  limb  but  facing  a  wide  range  of  imaginary  threats)  —  clues  have  to  be 
pondered  and  puzzles  solved  —  and  strategies  have  to  be  developed  and  then  adapted.  The 
world  of  adventures  may  appear  frivolous  (who  needs  Norse  Gods  when  we've  got  nuclear 
bombs,  why  go  to  Middle  Earth  when  there's  Greenham  Common  to  visit  instead?),  but 
the  thought  processes  adventures  encourage  can  be  useful. 

If  a  group  of  children  were  to  play  an  adventure  together  the  results  might  be  even  more 
rewarding.  There  would  obviously  be  no  lack  of  things  to  discuss  (perhaps  discuss  is  an 
understatement)  —  both  in  deciding  what  to  do  next  and  then  in  wondering  what  went 
wrong.  The  advantage  is  that  nothing  can  go  irredeemably  wrong  —  you  always  live  to 
learn  your  tables  on  another  day.  Maybe  you  did  lose  your  head  in  the  Gorgon's  Cavern  but 
at  least  you're  guaranteed  a  next  time  when  you  should  do  better. 


February  1984  Micro  Adventurer  3 


nmicron 

ixzJ  \i^3a}  UL 


Send  your  hints, 

successes, 
complaints  and 
compliments  to 
Letters  Page,  Micro 
Adventurer,  12-13 
Little  Newport  St, 
London  WC2R  3LD 


Six  of 
one  . . . 

AFTER  READING  the  article 
on    The    Prisoner    in  the 
December    issue    of  Micro 
Adventurer,    would    it  be 
possible  to  provide  me  with  the 
address  of  the  fan  club  Six  of 
One  please? 
R.  Eperjesi, 
The  Holmes, 
Fordhouses, 
Wolverhampton, 
West  Midlands. 

AFTER  reading  your  article  on 
The  Prisoner  I  would  like  to 
know  if  the  appreciation 
society  still  exists  and,  if  so, 
how  could  I  contact  it. 

I  would  like  to  congratulate 
you  on  the  magazine  to  which  I 
now  subscribe,  having  paid 
£10.00  for  13  issues.  Keep  up 
the  good  work. 
Andrew  Lake, 
A  leister  St, 
Stoke, 
Plymouth. 

SIX  OF  One,  the  appreciation 
society  for  The  Prisoner,  does 
still  exist.  The  address  is  PO 
Box  61,  Cheltenham,  Glos. 


Why  a  disk 


drive? 


WHILE  applauding  the  pro- 
duction of  a  magazine  devoted 
to  computer  adventuring,  I  am 
disappointed  to  see  that  you 
are  following  in  the  path  of 
most  other  computer  maga- 
zines by  publishing  inaccurate, 
incomplete  information  and 
advice. 

One  item  in  particular 
concerns  the  letter  titled  Disk 
drive  expense  (December).  The 
reply,  while  true  in  a  limited 
fashion,  is  inaccurate  and 
misleadingly  limited. 


Infocom  programs  including 
Zork  cannot  be  released  on 
cassette  because  random  file 
access  is  integral  to  the  manner 
in  which  they  operate.  It  is  not 
a  matter  of  an  extra  15  to  20 
minute  wait  for  loading  or  a 
preference  for  disk  packaging 
that  mitigates  against  the 
cassette  but  the  nature  of  the 
material. 

Infocom  software  ranges 
from  80K  to  more  than  160K 
of  program  and  data  thus 
making  it  impossible  to  load 
into  memory,  in  its  entirety, 
from  cassette.  The  sequential 
type  of  solution  adopted  for 
Carnell's  Black  Crystal  cassette 
will  not  work  either  since  these 
large  multiple  programs  are 
adapted  to  the  sequential 
nature  of  tape  storage. 

Infocom  games  are  suc- 
cessful because  they  are  not 
linear  and  allow  the  movement 

■ 

within  the  game  to  make  full 
use  of  the  disk  medium.  It  is 
possible  to  move  into  an  area 
not  currently  in  memory,  wait 
a  few  second  while  the  neces- 
sary information  is  overlayed 
into  memory  and  continue 
then  return  to  the  previous 
area,  again  with  only  a  few 
seconds  wait  as  the  previous 
data  is  restored  to  the 
computer's  memory. 

This  technique  is  eminently 
acceptable  to  gamers  as  it 
allows  the  use  of  large 
programs  and  ample  data  but 
relies  on  the  ability  of  disks  to 
support  random  access  files. 

While  a  cruder  but  similar 
method  of  program  overlays 
would  be  possible  to  im- 
plement on  cassette,  I  doubt 
that  even  PK  Gollin  would  be 
prepared  for  multiple  long  time 
lags  when  moving  to  and  fro  in 
such  a  game. 


The  only  hope  for  those  who 
cannot  yet  afford  disk  drives  is 
some    form    of  microdrive 
or  the  development  of  large 
ROM   cartridges  using  some 
form    of    internal  bank 
switching  to  cater  for  large 
programs. 
Laurence  Miller, 
Great  Barr, 
Birmingham. 

Critique 
snowballs 

OH  DEAR.  What  a  dis- 
appointment was  your  (Dec- 
ember) MW's  review  on  the 
new  adventure  from  l  evel  9, 
Snowball.  In  a  review  I  like  to 
be  told  some  idea  of  the 
happenings  in  an  adventure.  I 
find  it   very  dreary  to  hear 

that  loading  takes  seven 
minutes,  that  Snowball's 
command  analyser  allows  a 
great  flexibility  in  command 
format,  or  that  adventure 
points  are  awarded  for  doing 
clever  things.  The  reviewer 
obviously  knew  little  of  this 
adventure  and  has  padded  his 
or  her  way  out  of  trouble  with 
a  load  of  useless  facts.  Fully 
researched  my  foot.  Where,  in 
the  Labyrinths  of  La  Coshe? 

Now  that  you  have  got  me 
going  and  I'm  in  this  gripey 
mood,  1  would  like  to  say 
something  about  Adventure 
Contract,  on  Tony  Bridge's 
page.  While  1  think  that  this  is 
an  admirable  idea  I  put  out  a 
plea  to  those  in  need  of  help:  I 
have  written  to  quite  a  number 
of  adventurers  giving  advice  — 
but  I  have  never  ever  received  a 
reply.  I  am  afraid  that  this  is 
starting  to  put  me  off  writing 
to  people.  My  best  contacts  to 
date    have    been    on  the 


One  goblet  of  golden  elixir,  one  silver  flask  of 
invisibilify  potion,  and  a  rare  wizards  breiv 
for  infinite  wisdom —  coming  up  lad$\ 


telephone.    On    this  point, 
surely  it  is  better  with  letters  to 
the  editor  to  just  give  tele- 
phone numbers  not  an  address. 
You  can  obtain  a  telephone 
number  from  an  address  via 
directory  inquiries  but  not  an 
address     via     a  telephone 
number. 
David  Swain, 
Beechcroft  Rd, 
Oxford. 

SORRY  YOU  are  having  no 
luck  with  the  Contact  Column. 
For  the  moment  we  think  it 
better  not  to  publish  phone 
numbers.  If  you  first  contact 
someone  via  the  post  they 
might  volunteer  their  phone 
number.  Perhaps  other 
adventure  contacts  would  like 
to  write  to  the  editor  with 
comments  on  how  they  have 
found  the  column. 

An  addict's 


advice 


ALTHOUGH  MY  main  inter- 
est  in  micros  lies  in  the  field  of 
business  programming,  I  am  a 
self-confessed  adventure  addict 
of  many  years  standing. 

My  home  machine  is  a 
Commodore  8032  with  8050 
disk  drive,  and  I  suppose  that 
this  gives  me  rather  an 
advantage  over  many  readers 
in  having  access  to  larger  disk- 
based  games.  But  I  really  must 
express  astonishment  that  in  a 
magazine  dedicated  to  adven- 
ture games  there  is  no  mention 
of  programs  that  I  consider  to 
be  the  peak  of  sophistication. 

I  began  in  the  usual  way  with 
games  such  as  Pirate's  Cove 
(1  Vi  days  to  solve)  and  similar 
programs,  but  found  them  no 
real  challenge.  Catacombs  and 
Cornucopia,  marketed  by 
Supersoft,  were  my  intro- 
duction to  the  realms  of  true 
adventure  gaming.  Weird 
Wood  could  possibly  have  had 
me  stumped  had  I  not  become 
fricndlv  with  the  author. 

Currently  under  develop- 
ment by  the  same  author  and 
available  early  this  year  is  a 
new  program  possibly  to  be 
called  Weird  Wood  2  (although 
I  prefer  the  title  Adventurer's 
End).  In  this  he  has  used  every 
trick  in  the  book  to  make  it 
undoubtedly  the  ultimate  game 
to  date. 

Jim  MacBrayne, 
Pa  id  my  re  Crescent, 
Newton  M earns, 
Glasgow. 


4  Micro  Adventurer  February  1984 


n 


You  Ve  read  the  game . . . 
now  play  f  he  book. . . 


MY  SECRET  FILE 

Program  by  Phil  Nathans 

Based  on  the  best-selling  Puffin  book  by  John  Astrop 

A  personal  database  for  your  darkest  thoughts. 

Do  you  have  secrets  you  wouldn't  even  confide 
to  your  closest  friend?  Let  alone  your  family? 

Do  you  have  secrets  about  your  friends  and  family 
you  wouldn't  confide  to  anyone  but  yourself? 

At  last,  you're  no  longer  alone.  My  Secret  File  turns 
your  personal  computer  into  a  personal  confidante.  And  to 

keep  your  confidences  confidential,  it's  even  password  protected  - 
because  these  days,  you  can't  even  trust  your  micro  not  to  blab. 

Trust  no-one:  file  your  friends  before  they  file  you. 
Available  for  the :  Commodore  64  isbn  946855  30  7  Spectrum  48K  isbn  946855  35  8 

BBC  MiCrO  B  ISBN  946855  40  4 


Book/cassette  pack 
I  £9.95 


Book/cassette  pack 
£9.95 


THE  UNORTHODOX  ENGINEERS: 

THE  PEN  AND  THE  DARK 

^  Adventure  game  program  by  Keith  Campbell 

Based  on  the  story  by  Colin  Kapp 

Colin  Kapp  created  the  classic  SF  stories  about  the 
Unorthodox  Engineers  -  and  now  you  can  try  to 
solve  the  mystery  of  the  indestructible  pillar  of 
darkness  and  the  riddle  of  contra-energy  in  this 
mind-bending  text  adventure  game. 

Reading  Colin's  story  in  this  pack  should  help  you.  But  once 
you  and  your  micro  are  locked  into  the  problem,  not  even  Colin 

could  get  you  out. 

By  special  arrangement  with  an  unspecified  alien  culture,  Mosaic  will  let  you 
have  the  story  along  with  the  program  -  so  at  least  you're  in  with  a  chance. 
Please  read  the  story  carefully  . . .  because  we'd  like  to  release  our  Spring 
SF  bookware  blockbuster  (Harry  Harrison's  Stainless  Steel  Rat  on  micro  for  the 
first  time!)  before  you  carelessly  unleash  contra-energy  across  the  universe.  Thank  you. 

Available  for  the:  Spectrum  48K  isbn 946855 15  3  BBC  Micro  B  isbn  946855  20  x 

Available  from  good  bookshops  and  computer  stores. 

Published  by  Mosaic  Publishing  Ltd 

Marketed  by  John  Wiley  &  Sons  Limited,  Baffins  Lane,  Chichester,  Sussex  P019  1UD 

BOOHUHRE 


February  1984  Micro  Adventurer  5 


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If  you  think  you've 

something 
newsworthy,  call 
01  437  4343  and  let  us 
know 

Spectrum 

favourites 

converted 

ARTIC  have  released  four 
adventure  games  for  the 
Commodore  64. 

They  are  Planet  of  Death, 
Inca  Curse,  Ship  of  Doom  and 
Espionage  Island. 

They  are  the  first  Artie 
games  released  for  the 
Commodore.  Previously  they 
were  available  only  for  the 
Spectrum. 

3  BBC  B 

games 

CASTLE  Frankenstein,  The 
Quest  for  the  Holy  Grail  and 
The  Kingdom  of  Klein  are 
three  adventures  recently 
launched  by  Epic  Software  for 
the  BBC  B. 

They  are  traditional  text 
adventures  written  in  machine 
code. 

The  games  include  full 
sentence  decoding,  colour,  fast 
responses,  scoring  and  game 
save  on  tapes. 

Each  game  includes  puzzles 
and  about  230  locations. 


JERICHO  Road,  an  educa- 
tional adventure  for  the 
Spectrum  48K  from  Shards  is  a 
first  in  many  ways. 

It  was  written  by  a  church 
minister,  Peter  Goodland, 
from  Seven  Kings  in  East 
London.  And  it  aims  to  teach 
history  through  a  factual 
representation  of  a  biblical 
story. 

In  the  adventure,  which  is  set 
on  two  levels,  the  player  must 
find  a  way  out  of  Israel  along 
the  road  to  Jericho. 

In  the  difficult  version  the 
player  must  also  solve  a  tricky 
word  puzzle  before  the  game  is 
completed. 

An   inscribed   pot   with  a 


F  RAZER  Hubbard,  the  1 5  year 
old  who  cracked  Hewson's 
Quest  Adventure,  says  that  he 
prefers  to  play  adventures 
rather  than  arcade  games 
because  they  are  more  inter- 
est ing. 

F  r  a  z  e  r ,  who  surprised 
Hewson's  by  taking  only  six 
weeks  to  solve  the  adventure 
instead  of  six  months,  comes 
from  Goudhurst  in  Kent  where 
he  is  studying  for  his  O  levels. 

A  spokesman  for  Hewson's 
said  Quest  Adventure  would 
usually  take  a  long  time  to -solve 
because  it  required  lateral 
thinking. 

"Frazer  had  been  in  a  car 
accident  and  had  the  time  to 
persevere  with  the  game.  So  he 
solved  it  sooner  than  we  would 


strange  but  meaningless  word 
square  is  found.  The  player 
visits  people  and  places  to  find 
an  escape  from  Israel.  He  or 
she  is  given  clues  and  gradually 
works  out  the  solution. 

Of  course  if  you  are  familiar 
with  the  biblical  story  it  will  be 
a  help  in  solving  the  adventure, 
if  not  Shards  have  four  pages 
of  crib  sheets  telling  you  how 
the  story  evolved,  the  back- 
ground of  its  characters  and 
places  and  clues  to  the  game. 

Shards  emphasised  that  the 
program  did  not  preach  but 
that  it  was  merely  educational, 
based  on  a  biblical  story. 

The  company  plans  to 
launch    another  educational 


have  expected , ' '  the  spokes- 
man said. 

"He's  a  real  computer 
fanatic.    He    practically  did 


program  this  month  called 
Mystery  of  the  Java  Star. 

It  concerns  the  raising  of  an 
eighteenth  century  bark  from 
the  depths  of  the  South 
Atlantic. 

The  program  is  aimed  at  the 
11  to  16  year-old  age  group. 

It  requires  a  knowledge  of 
geography,  the  reading  of  com- 
passes and  grid  map 
references,  and  the  ability  to 
solve  jigsaw  puzzles. 

The  four-part  program  is  for 
the  Dragon  32.  It  begins  in 
England  where  the  player  must 
find  a  map  of  the  South 
Atlantic  directing  him  or  her 
to  the  place  where  the  Java 
Star  sank. 

The  strategy  game  Empire, 
from  Shards,  which  was  based 
on  a  board  game  in  which  the 
player  attempts  to  conquer  the 
world,  has  been  released  for 
the  BBC. 

It  was  previously  available 
only  for  the  Dragon.  The  BBC 
version  costs  £6.95. 


nothing  else  while  he  was  ill. 

"He  hopes  to  be  a  program- 
mer when  he  finishes  school," 
the  spokesman  said. 


Teenager  completes 
program  in  record  time 


f  razer  Hubbard,  right,  and  James  Hull  his  cousin 


£3,000  contest  launched 


MELBOURNE  HOUSE,  the 
producers  of  The  Hobbit,  have 
launched  a  competition  with 
£3000  in  prizes  to  accompany 
the  release  of  a  game  designer, 
Hurg. 

It  was  designed  to  enable 
Spectrum  owners  to  develop 
machine  language  arcade 
games  and  graphics  at  a 
professional  standard. 


A  series  of  questions  aids  the 
selection  of  features  needed  to 
design  a  specific  game. 

If  the  shape  required  is  a 
man,  monster,  spaceship  or 
something  more  unusual,  the 
shape  designer  can  be 
instructed  to  produce  it. 

Any  shape  can  be  fully 
animated  to  give  on-screen 
arcade  quality. 


Variations  to  the  game  may 
be  achieved  by  changing 
individual  features.  You  can 
speed  the  game  up,  change  the 
scenery  or  make  the  monsters 
more  vicious.  Dramatic  sound 
effects  and  score  boards  can  be 
added. 

The  games  can  be  saved  on 
to  a  cassette  and  played  later 
using  the  game  designer  as  the 


control  program  next  time. 

Melbourne  House  will  award 
a  prize  for  the  best-designed 
game,  which  used  Hurg,  that  it 
receives. 

Details  of  the  competition 
are  enclosed  with  each  Hurg 
package,  which  costs  £14.95. 
The  game  designer  is  available 
from  all  leading  retailers  or  by 
mail  order. 


8  Micro  Adventurer  February  1984 


Quill  exceeds  ex[ 


THE  SUCCESS  story  of  the 
ZX  micro  fair  held  at  the 
Alexandra  Palace  was  The 
Quill. 

Elated  at  the  success  of  the 
Gilsoft  product  Howard 
Gilbert  said  The  Quill  was 
selling  better  than  he  could 
have  hoped. 

The  Quill  is  an  interpreter 
program  that  can  be  used  to 
compile  your  own  adventures 
for  the  Spectrum  48K. 

After  writing  their  own 
programs,  Quill  owners  are 
entitled  to  market  their  adven- 
ture if  they  think  someone  will 
buy  it. 

All  Gilsoft  ask  is  that  they  be 
acknowledged  at  the  beginning 
of  a  progam  based  on  The 
Quill. 

Howard  believes  that  the 
more  adventures  on  the 
market,  the  better  the  standard 
of  games. 

"The  Quill  could  improve 
the  adventure  market  enor- 
mously rather  than  restrict  it," 
Howard  said. 

One  game  already  written 
with  The  Quill  is  Denis  through 
the  Drinking  Glass. 

Written  by  Roger  Taylor, 
also  at  the  ZX  Fair,  the  game  is 
in  verse.  The  first  location  is 
described  as:  "A  cosy  den  at 

An  aid  for 
CBM  64 

owners 

INTERPOD,  an  inexpensive 
interface  from  Oxford 
Computer  Systems,  is  designed 
to  relieve  the  dependence  of  the 
user  on  the  Commodore  64's 
single  disk  drive. 

According  to  Oxford 
Computer  Systems  any 
software  that  can  be  run  on  a 
64  may  be  used  with  Interpod. 

The  Interpod  is  said  to  be  an 
aid  for  businesses  that  are 
presently  restricted  by  the 
capabilities,  operating  speed 
and  facilities  covered  by  the 
Commodore  range  of  64 
peripherals. 

Interpod  is  a  small  black  box 
that  will  provide  users  with 
both  RS232  and  IEEE  inter- 
faces. 

Unlike  other  interfaces 
Interpod  does  not  use  the 
cartridge  slot  of  the  64. 


Number  10,  safe  from 
Maggie's  eye,  where  you  can 
plan  your  get  away  and  drink 
the  cellar  dry." 

In  the  game  the  hero  is  Denis 
Thatcher.  His  objective  is  to 
get  to  a  place  called  the  Grave 
Digger's  Arms  at  all  costs, 
avoiding  the  watchful  eye  of 
the  prime  minister. 

On  his  journey,  which  covers 
up  to  95  locations,  Denis  meets 
a  variety  of  people,  including 
Ken  Livingstone,  Norman 
Tebbit,  Tony  Benn  and  lan 
Paisley. 

He  visits  Sir  Keith  Joseph 
and  his  monetarist  dream 
world  and,  carrying  a  lawn 
mower  and  parachute,  drops  in 
on  the  Pope. 

It  may  be  added,  perhaps 
unnecessarily,  that  the  game  is 
an  unabashed  send  up  of 
current  political  figures. 

The  author  of  the  game,  is  a 
politics  graduate  and  amateur 
dramatist. 

Roger  believes  that  there  is  a 
market  for  his  game  among 
people  with  a  sense  of  humour 
who  are  tired  of  zapping 
several  characters  before 
completing  their  quest. 

Following  the  interest 
expressed  in  Denis  through  the 
Drinking  Glass,   with  Roger 


Howard  Gilbert  from  Gilsoft  at  the 

appearing  on  television , 
Gilsoft  have  released  a  series  of 
adventures  all  written  using 
The  Quill. 

Some  available  include  The 
Adventures  of  Barsac  the 
Dwarf,  Diamond  Trail,  Magic 
Castle  and  Fairground. 

Roger's  second  game, 
written  also  with  the  use  of  The 
Quill,  is  a  puzzle  of  logic  and 
was  named  after  the  mathe- 
matician Archimedes. 

The  player  is  presented  with 
a  rhyming  riddle  in  each 
location    of  Archimedes' 

Screw. 

The  riddles  must  be  solved 
so  that  various  objects  can  be 
returned  to  their  correct  places. 


micro  fair 

Roger  said  players  should 
find  the  games  amusing  and 
difficult. 

'They  rely  heavily  on 
general  knowledge  and  lateral 
thinking,"  he  said. 

"The  structure  of  the 
program  when  mapped  looks 
like  an  Archimedean  screw," 
Roger  said,  hence  the  name. 

Both  games  are  available  for 
the  Spectrum  48K. 

The  second  ZX  Fair  success 
story  reflected  the  growing 
popularity  of  the  Currah 
Speech  Synthesier. 

Priced  at  £29.95  the  Level  9 
stand  had  sold  out  of  their 
stock  of  100  by  noon  on 
Sunday. 


Cricklewood  wakes  up 


THE  Cricklewood  Incident  is  a 
new  Tansoft  adventure  due  out 
now. 

Set  in  the  London  suburb  of 
Cricklewood,  the  player  must 
tackle  tardy  London  buses, 
nasty  youths  and  Australian 
tourists  who  will  attack  unless 


placated  with  a  can  of  Fosters. 

The  Cricklewood  Incident 
will  be  available  for  the  One 
also. 

Your  problem-solving  abili- 
ties will  be  tested  in  House  of 
Death,  Tansoft's  follow-up  to 
Zodiac. 


Infocom  releases 
detective  mystery 


INFOCOM  have  released  a 
new  game  called  Witness, 
based  on  a  detective  mystery. 

The  Witness  package 
contains  a  detective's  dossier 
of  clues,  the  National  Detective 
Gazette,  a  suicide  note, 
telegram,  a  matchbox  and  that 
day's  news  events. 

The  game  is  set  in  February 
1938  and  concerns  death  of  a 
society  matron.  A  con-man  is 
trying  to  frame  the  dead 
woman's  husband. 

You,  as  the  witness,  work 


from  a  clue-ridden  police  file 
and  against  a  12-hour  time 
limit  to  solve  the  suspicious 
society  murder. 

Clues  hint  that  it  is  a  sordid 
family  affair  that  may  lead 
everyone  from  the  heiress  to 
the  butler  in  prison. 

It's  up  to  the  player  to  sort 
through  the  clues,  motives  and 
alibis  in  order  to  solve  the 
mystery. 

The  Witness  is  available  for 
£33.95  for  the  Apple  and  IBM 
+  PC. 


The  £9.95  Oric  game  is  set  in 
an  old  house  where  horror 
films  were  once  made. 

The  player  searches  for  a 
treasure  among  props,  vam- 
pires and  a  host  of  other 
monsters. 

The  vampires  could  be  a 
hindrance  in  the  treasure  hunt, 
in  which  case  the  player  might 
kill  them  providing  the  right 
implements  arc  found,  or  they 
may  be  a  help.  It's  up  to  you  to 
offer  them  the  right  incentive. 

Latest  PSS 
software 

THE  US-based  software  com- 
pany PSS  have  released  a  new 
adventure  called  (Crystals  of 
Zong  for  the  Commodore  64. 

A  spokesman  for  PSS  said 
the  game  should  prove  as 
popular  as  the  PSS  educational 
games,  such  as  Easy  Tutor. 

Krystals  of  Zong  retails  for 
£7.95.1  I 


February  1984  Micro  Adventurer  9 


land 


your  own 


Planning  a  plot  first  will  save  you  time  and  heartache  when 
writing  the  program,  says  Mike  Grace  in  this  extract  from 

''Commodore  64  adventures'9 


MOST  OF  the  books  and  articles  on 
programming  will  tell  you  that  writing  any 
type  of  software  should  follow  certain  well- 
defined  paths  and  adventure  games  should 
be  no  exception. 

1  have  found  that  despite  the  obvious 
desire  to  sit  down  at  the  keyboard  and  start 
programming  right  away  this  is  one  time 
when  the  advice  —  think  first  —  is  vital. 

1  know  this  is  irksome  —  in  fact  the 
attraction  of  the  hardware  is  a  fatal  flaw  in 
my  own  programming  —  but  unless  you  do 
force  yourself  to  work  out  the  bulk  of  your 
story  on  paper  first  all  you'll  achieve 
(besides  creating  problems  for  later)  is  an 
extra  few  weeks  rewriting  your  program 
again  and  again. 

The  story  (or  perhaps  a  better  word 
would  be  plot)  is  critical  to  both  the  success 
of  the  game  and  the  structure  of  the 
program.  In  many  ways  the  process  of 
creating  a  suitable  adventure  is  similar  to 
the  methods  that  film-makers  use  when 
constructing  a  film  (a  concept  I  will  return 
to  later),  and  I  found  this  was  the  most 
exciting  stage  in  my  program. 

The  basic  theme 

You  need  to  both  create  the  basic  theme 
(write  the  story  in  other  words)  and  then 
visualise  it  as  though  viewing  it  through  the 
eyes  of  your  audience. 

Part  of  the  thrill  of  most  adventure 
games  Tve  played  has  been  the  feel  of 
participation  of  actually  taking  part  in  the 
scenario,  [fit  is  to  be  successful  this  must  be 
due  to  a  combination  of  features  which  I 
will  summarise  to  set  your  mind  to  thinking 
about  them  now  —  whilst  starting  to  create 
the  beginnings  of  your  story. 

The  success  and  satisfaction  of  your 
game  will  depend  on:  your  ability  to  use 
words  to  create  images  of  your  story;  the 
depth  and  plausibility  of  your  plot;  the 
imagination  of  the  person  playing  the  game. 

With  regard  to  the  last  point  you  don't 
have  any  control  over  the  skill  and 
imagination  of  potential  players,  but  as  it 
appears  that  adventure  players  are  often 
fans  of  science  fiction  and  fantasy  then  it 
seems  a  reasonable  assumption  that  they 
will  have  a  well-developed  imagination  — 
so  I  think  we  can  take  point  three  for 
granted.  The  other  two  features  now  take 
on  a  more  important  role. 

Adventure  games  still  tend  in  many  cases 
to  follow  the  style  of  the  original  versions 


created  for  mainframe  computers  or  the 
well-known  Scott  Adams  games  —  they 
have  a  bias  towards  the  dungeons  and 
dragons,  science  fiction,  fantasy  or  horror 
theme. 

A  quick  scan  of  any  magazine  will  throw 
up  a  variety  of  titles  such  as  Mysterious 
Castle,  Dracula's  Lair,  Island  of  Doom, 
Tale  of  the  Dragon,  and  many  more.  Of 
course  you  don't  have  to  follow  this  trend 
and  there  are  several  games  with  a  totally 
different  storyline,  (escaping  from  an 
asylum,  looking  for  the  right  husband/ 
wife,  attempting  to  slip  out  for  a  night  on 
the  town)  which  add  a  welcome  touch  of 
originality  for  the  hardened  player. 

Main  characters 

I  read  once  there  are  no  original  plots  for 
stores  —  only  different  variations.  Of 
course  it's  true,  but  Star  Wars  is  a  perfect 
demonstration  of  the  ability  to  take  a 
simple  plot  and  transform  it  into  a  smash 
hit. 

In  all  our  stories  we  need  some  type  of 
.quest  or  goal  to  be  achieved  (find  treasure, 
rescue  a  princess,  escape  from  a  dangerous 
situation,  discover  the  meaning  of  a 
puzzle).  We  need  a  recognisable  hero  or 
heroine  (in  the  adventure  game  the  player 
takes  on  that  role)  and  usually  a  villain  or 
some  other  conflict  for  our  main 
characters. 

When  I  wrote  my  own  story  I  used  the 
following  steps: 

1 .  Select  the  environment  (eg  fantasy, 
horror,  sf). 

2.  Choose  a  quest  or  goal  (eg  find  treasure, 
escape  from  a  wizard). 

3.  Decide  on  the  role  of  the  hero/heroine. 

4.  Select  the  main  characters  (eg  wizard, 
vampire,  countess). 

5.  Write  a  synopsis  of  the  story. 

6.  Draw  a  simplified  map  with  a  few  basic 
locations. 

7.  Storyboard  the  plot. 

Nostalgia  of  youth 

It  may  sound  as  though  there  is  a  lot  of 
hard  work  before  even  touching  the 
keyboard,  but  many  of  the  steps  in  writing 
your  story  will  follow  so  naturally  that  it 
becomes  a  fascinating  and  challenging  goal 
in  itself.  And  short-circuiting  this  step  will 
either  produce  extra  work  later  or  result  in 
an  unsatisfactory  product  in  the  end. 

The  traditional  type  of  adventure  game, 


which  borrows  heavily  on  the  fantasy  world 
of  Tolkien  and  related  writers,  abounds 
with  elves,  dragons,  sorcerors,  castles 
dripping  with  magic  and  mystery  and 
similar  things. 

Perhaps  it  really  is  the  nostalgia  of  the 
fairy-tales  of  our  youth  that  partly  explains 
this  popularity  —  perhaps  a  deeper  reason, 
but  for  the  budding  adventurer  the  range  of 
possibilities  opened  by  selecting  this 
environment  adds  a  zest  and  originality  less- 
likely  in  the  more  mundane  world.  After  all 
—  anything  is  possible  in  your  story. 

Immediate  ideas 

Sword  and  sorcery  is  a  branch  of  this 
type  of  environment  which  substitutes  the 
more  magical  aspects  for  violence.  In  this 
genre  (typified  by  the  writings  of  Robert  E 
Howard  and  his  splendid  hero  Conan)  the 
world  is  a  dark  and  savage  place  where 
spells  and  sorcery  are  real  and  your  prowess 
with  the  sword  is  your  only  real  asset. 

There  are  plenty  of  other  situations  you 
can  use  as  I  have  mentioned,  the  detective 
solving  the  crime,  the  innocent  caught  up  in 
the  world  of  espionage,  the  castaway  on  a 
desert  island.  You  only  need  to  look  at  the 
programmes  on  the  television,  the  books  in 
the  fiction  section  at  your  library  or  the 
films  being  shown  at  your  local  cinema  to 
find  immediate  ideas  for  your  story.  And, 
of  course,  there  is  science  fiction . 

I've  left  science  fiction  until  now  because 
this  is  the  environment  I  chose  for  my 
adventure  —  Nightmare  Planet.  Purist  SF 
fans  would  probably  argue  that  Nightmare 
Planet  is  more  space  opera  than  true  SF, 
but  for  the  sake  of  simplicity  I  regard  all 
stories  with  a  background  of  time  and  space 
as  science  fiction. 

Again  possibilities  are  pretty  extensive, 
time  travel  to  rescue  the  good  doctor  who 
has  been  flung  into  the  far  future  by  his 
premature  tamperings  with  a  time  machine, 
battles  against  the  aliens  planning  to  invade 
the  earth,  searching  a  post-nuclear  planet 
for  life  after  the  holocaust.  It  was  into  this 
type  of  general  environment  that  I  decided 
to  place  my  story. 

One  goal 

The  whole  idea  of  adventure  is  to  solve  a 
puzzle,  find  an  answer,  achieve  a  goal  —  so 
the  main  consideration  from  the  start  must 
be  to  decide  what  your  own  goal  will  be. 

When  I  first  began  to  work  out 
Nightmare  Planet  I  had  only  one  goal  —  to 
rescue  the  Princess  Aurora.  As  the  story 
expanded  during  the  programming  stage  1 
added  a  second  goal  —  to  find  the  energy 
crystal  and  bring  it  back  to  the  spaceship. 

This  added  to  the  difficulty  of  the  game 
and  extended  the  scope  of  the  adventure 
quite  considerably  but  was  not  really  an 
essential  part  of  the  original  story.  Thus, 
despite  the  importance  of  choosing  your 
goal,  it  is  possible  to  amend  it  later  or  as  I 
did  —  add  to  it. 

Don't  be  tempted  to  start  to  work  out 
fine  detail  at  this  stage.  For  example, 
suppose  you  have  decided  to  make  your 
goal  FIND  THE  TREASURE  inside  the 
Castle  of  Doom.   As  your  imagination 


10  Micro  Adventurer  February  1984 


LOCATION:  By  the  shores  of  a  lake. 

WHAT  SHALL  WE  DO  NOW? 
Dive 

CAN'T  DO  THAT. . . . . .  YET! 

WHAT  SHALL  WE  DO  NOW 

Swim 

O.K 

You  bob  silently  on  the  top  of  the  water,  looking  down  at  the  glinting 
metal  object  on  the  bed  of  the  lake.  It  is  another  blaster  from  the 
spaceship. 

WHAT  SHALL  WE  DO  NOW? 

Dive 

O.K 

A  giant  monster  eel  attacks  you,  appearing  as  if  from  nowhere 
WHAT  SHALL  WE  DO  NOW? 
Fire  blaster. 

IMPOSSIBLE  —  it  is  too  damp 
WHAT  SHALL  WE  DO  NOW? 
Kill  monster 

I  DON'T  KNOW  WHAT  'MONSTER'  IS 
WHAT  SHALL  WE  DO  NOW? 
Kill  eel 


Location:  Inside  your  Spaceship. 

You  awaken  with  a  throbbing  head  amidst  the  wreckage  of  the 
contents  of  your  cabin.  As  you  stagger  to  your  feet  suddenly  the 
memory  of  your  spaceship  losing  control  comes  back  to  you. 

Your  mission  —  to  deliver  the  beautiful  Princess  Aurora  to  the 
Planet  Thoth,  where  she  is  to  be  married  to  the  ruler  Zorn-Ramok,  a 
cruel  man  who  sees  the  union  in  terms  of  its  polictical  value. 

Your  problem  —  you  have  fallen  in  love  with  the  Princess  and, 
unknown  to  her,  guided  your  ship  into  the  lonely  outposts  of  the 
Galaxy  in  an  attempt  to  persuade  her  to  forget  her  promise  to  marry 
Zorn-Ramok  and  escape  with  you. 

But  fate  has  played  a  hand  in  your  plans,  for  your  ship  was  damaged 
by  a  sudden  ion  storm  and  it  was  all  you  could  do  to  steer  for  an 
uncharted  planet  in  the  outer  limits  of  the  known  Galaxy  and  attempt 
a  landing 

Now  you  recover  amidst  the  damage  of  your  battered  spaceship. 
Around  you  lie  the  contents  of  your  locker,  your  spacesuit,  galaxy 
charts,  your  blaster,  and  the  signs  of  an  obvious  struggle.  But  Aurora 

has  gone. 

Your  airlock  is  registering  that  it  has  been  opened  from  the  outside 
then  resealed.  Your  only  blessing  is  that  Proteus,  your  personal 
robot,  is  undamaged  and  can  aid  you  in  your  search  for  Aurora. 

WHAT  SHALL  WE  DO  NOW? 


begins  to  work  out  the  story  you  also  start 
thinking  of  whether  to  add  a  score  to  the 
game,  adding  10  points  for  every  item  of 
treasure. 

While  your  mind  is  thinking  of  this  you 
could  become  diverted  into  adding  the 
concept  of  subtracting  points  for  various 
problems  encountered  which  your  player 
hasn't  solved  in  a  particular  time  limit. 

From  this  you  may  decide  that  you  will 
need  a  display  of  the  score  on  the  screen  all 
the  time  —  so  you  sit  down  in  front  of  your 
micro  and  begin  to  work  out  the  graphics  of" 
your  scoreboard  .  .  . 

The  esscence  of  good  storywriting  at  this 
stage  is  simplicity.  The  frills  will  come  later 
once  you  begin  to  program. 

Fantasy  hero 

Next  you  have  to  decide  on  the  role  of  the 
hero.  This  —  quite  simply  —  places  the 
player  into  the  scenario.  As  involvement  in 
the  adventure  is  the  key  to  good  playing  you 
need  to  make  your  potential  player  feel  as  if 
he  is  the  hero. 

Your  player  acts  as  himself  thrown  into 
the  fantasy  world,  or  your  player  takes  on 
the  role  of  the  fantasy  hero. 

I  don't  think  it  matters  too  much  which 
you  decide  —  as  long  as  you  make  it  clear 
right  from  the  start  of  the  game.  In  my  own 
case  I  wanted  the  hero  to  be  the  pilot  of  a 
battered  but  reliable  spaceship  (shades  of 
Han  Solo)  who  made  his  living  as  a  freight- 
operator. 

Of  course  the  other  characters  in  the  plot 
will  depend  on  the  story  you  are  writing,  so 
this  stage  should  really  be  considered  at  the 
same  time  as  creating  the  actual  story  itself. 
But  as  most  of  these  stages  are  slightly 
artificial  .  .  .  (what  really  happens  is  that  as 
you  think  of  your  story  you  will  auto- 
matically be  thinking  of  the  hero,  the 


location,  the  villain)  it  is  easier  to  have  some 
kind  of  structure  which  ensures  that  you 
don't  leave  anything  out. 

The  main  characters  must  be  accom- 
plices, people  to  rescue,  villains,  and 
assorted  types  to  add  local  colour  or  act  as 
red  herrings  or  clue-givers.  Nightmare 
Planet  is  fairly  lacking  in  characters  because 
of  its  location  —  an  alien  planet  which 
contains  various  perils  rather  than  villains 
—  so  the  only  other  real  character  is  the 
Princess  Aurora. 

While  1  have  not  done  so  for  the  purpose 
of  this  book,  it  would  be  a  simple  matter  to 
include  a  prompt  at  the  beginning  of  the 
game  asking  if  the  player  is  male  or  female. 
Upon  receiving  the  appropriate  response 
the  game  would  then  set  various  variables 
so  that  the  princess  could  become  a  prince 
and  the  player  become  a  female  space  pilot. 

Ideas  can  occur  at  the  strangest  of  times, 
often  in  the-bath,  late  at  night,  or  as  in  may 
case  on  the  train. 

As  I  rattled  down  from  Manchester  to 
London  one  dull  morning  the  whole  plot 
came  to  me  quite  unexpectedly  and  quickly, 
and  I  scribbled  it  down  there  and  then. 

This  formed  the  synopsis  —  which 
remained  the  same  in  basic  content 
throughout  the  creation  and  programming 
of  the  whole  game. 

Plot  thickens 

My  synopsis  was  as  follows:  you  are  the 
pilot  of  a  spaceship  on  a  mission  to  deliver 
the  beautiful  Princess  Aurora  to  the  planet 
Zen  where  she  is  to  be  married  to  the  tyrant 
ruler.  You  have  fallen  in  love  with  Aurora 
but  dare  not  tell  her. 

A  sudden  power  failure  or  meteor  storm 
causes  you  to  crash  on  a  strange,  uncharted 
planet.  You  successfully  land  your  ship  but 
black  out  during  the  crash. 


When  you  awaken  you  discover  the  ship 
has  been  entered  from  outside  the  princess 
has  been  captured.  You  have  to  set  out  and 
rescue  her. 

The  atmosphere  on  the  planet  is 
poisonous  so  you  are  forced  to  wear  your 
spacesuit  at  first,  but  along  the  way  you 
chance  upon  an  alien  plant  with  strange 
fruit  which  (when  eaten)  allows  you  to 
breath  the  air  safely. 

You  cross  a  vast  desert  to  a  ruined  city  in 
your  travels,  but  all  you  find  there  is  a  giant 
snake  which  attacks  you. 

You  eventually  come  to  a  huge  forest  and 
continue  your  search.  You  become  lost,  and 
after  some  time  climb  a  tree  to  see  where 
you  are. 

Happy  ending 

To  the  south  you  see  smoke  curling  in  the 
air  —  life  of  some  sort.  On  the  way  to  the 
area  you  are  attacked  by  a  dinosaur, 
obviously  the  planet  has  not  developed  very 
far  along  the  evolutionary  trail  yet,  and 
eventually  you  find  a  village  of  mud  huts 
belonging  to  the  natives  who  inhabit  this 
part  of  the  land. 

You  have  found  Aurora  who  is  con- 
sidered by  the  natives  to  be  a  goddess.  They 
threaten  you  when  you  try  to  take  her  away 
—  and  it  is  only  when  you  kiss  her  and  show 
them  you  are  her  intended  mate  that  they 
will  let  you  both  escape. 

On  the  way  back  to  your  ship  you 
discover  that  Aurora  really  loved  you  all 
along  (there  was  obviously  magic  in  your 
kiss!!)  and  you  fly  away  together  to  a 
blissful  future  at  the  edge  of  the  galaxy. 

It  may  not  be  great  literature  but  the 
essence  of  my  plot  is  all  there.  As  I  began 
developing  the  story  I  added  refinements 
and  improvements  along  the  way  but 
surprisingly  little.  [> 


February  1984  Micro  Adventurer  11 


<OYou  need  some  idea  of  the  geographical 
relationship  of  the  various  locations  in  your 
adventure  to  help  you  avoid  making  mis- 
takes in  your  planning  later  on.  I  found  this 
was  simpler  if  1  just  drew  a  very  basic  map 
which  placed  the  various  locations  into  'real 
space'  rather  than  attempting  to  fit  them 
into  a  grid. 

The  discipline  of  drawing  this  map  is  a 
great  help  in  developing  the  story,  for  as  I 
began  to  think  of  the  objects  and  perils  I 
would  start  to  place  in  specific  locations  so  I 
found  the  skeleton  of  my  original  plot 
developing  layers  of  clothing. 

Having  drawn  the  initial  map  and  given 
some  thought  to  the  plot  the  next  stage  is  to 
start  to  storyboard  your  adventure. 

Essentially  I'm  a  visual  person.  1  love 
films,  I  prefer  illustrated  stories  to  prose 
(that  means  comics)  and  when  it  comes  to 
writing  I  tend  to  see  the  finished  product  in 
my  mind's  eye  before  1  put  finger  to 
keyboard.  So  it  was  natural  for  me  to  begin 
to  write  my  adventure  by  using  a  technique 
of  story-boarding  similar  to  the  process  a 
director  will  often  use  when  planning  out  a 
film  in  the  early  stages. 

Storyboarding 

A  storyboard  is  just  a  collection  of  visual 
images  portraying  the  story  on  a  collection 
of  boards  —  a  strip  cartoon  of  the  film  in 
other  words.  Obviously  writing  a  computer 
program  relying  heavily  on  text  is  not  the 
same  as  shooting  an  epic,  but  if  I  was  to  use 
a  similar  principle  then  what  1  wanted  was 


to  see  first  what  the  player  would  see  on  his 
computer  screen. 

I  needed  to  imagine  the  layout  of  text  on 
the  screen  and  to  picture  some  of  the 
possible  responses  of  my  potential  player  so 
1  could  begin  to  think  about  the  framework 
of  my  plot. 

At  first  this  technique  may  seem  a  bit  of  a 
time-waster  —  after  all  who  wants  to  sit 
around  writing  imaginary  responses  to 
"WHAT  SHALL  I  DO  NOW?"  on  bits  of 
paper  when  there's  a  keyboard  to  play  with 
but  in  my  own  case  1  found  this  part  of  my 
construction  extremely  valuable. 

Developing  ideas 

I  suspect  it  was  because  I  was  able  to 
begin  to  'thought-launder'.  This  means  that 
1  was  forced  (by  the  act  of  writing  down 
various  ideas  and  replies)  to  think  much 
more  deeply  about  both  my  plot  and  also 
my  locations.  I  began  to  get  ideas  which 
would  serve  me  in  good  stead  later. 

A  simple  example  is  the  personal  robot 
Proteus  who  has  survived  the  crash  and  as  it 
says  on  the  screen  published  with  this 
article,  "...  can  aid  you  in  your  search  for 
Aurora." 

I  first  hatched  the  idea  of  having  a  little 
robot  who  would  be  around  to  come  in  with 
a  comic  comment  or  quip  on  this  screen  — 
my  first  storyboard. 

This  idea  would  change  and  develop,  to 
become  Victor  the  robot  who  drops  down 
from  the  top  of  the  screen  at  various 
moments  throughout  the  game.  I  wonder  if 


I'd  have  thought  of  Victor  if  I  hadn't  spent 
the  time  thinking  and  writing  up  this  first 
screen  back  at  the  beginning? 

The  two  other  screens  are  just  further 
locations,  again  to  show  how  I  was 
planning  out  my  plot. 

The  last  screen  is  one  of  the  many  I 
made  up  as  I  went  through  my  story  — 
trying  to  imagine  I  was  keying  in  the 
appropriate  responses  to  the  messages  from 
the  computer.  When  I  came  to  the  actual 
programming  of  this  sequence  I  was  already 
fairly  certain  of  what  I  wanted  —  and 
although  I  changed  a  few  ideas  around 
slightly  the  essence  remains  in  the  final 
version  of  Nightmare  Planet. 

Writing  the  plot  may  be  the  hardest  part 
of  writing  your  own  Adventure  and  perhaps 
the  most  frustrating  for  keen  programmers. 
But  I  have  a  feeling  that  adventurers  are 
imaginative  and  creative  people  who  will 
find  that  once  the  idea  of  a  plot-line  has 
crept  into  their  mind  it'll  be  hard  to  shake 
it.  Once  this  happens  then  the  only  way  to 
escape  is  to  write  —  to  transfer  the  toughts 
to  paper  and  then  to  computer. 

1  hope  my  introduction  to  the  actual  act 
of  transferring  that  idea,  that  concept  that 
will  make  your  adventure  unique  and 
workable  and  will  save  you  time  and 
heartache  later. 

I  have  spent  some  time  on  it  because  all 
the  books  and  articles  I  had  read  on  pro- 
gramming adventures  concentrate  on  the 
technical  expertise  of  programming  and  tend 
to  skip  the  hard  part  —  the  creation.  1 


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12  Micro  Adventurer  February  1984 


Graphics  span 
the  " 

Tony  James  looks  at  a  sub-routine  that  enables  the  printing 
of  an  unlimited  number  of  User  Defined  Graphics 


ON  THE  SPECTRUM  the  User  Defined 
Graphics  are  kept  at  the  top  of  the  memory, 
above  RAMTOP.  By  POKEing  this  part  of 
the  memory  it  is  possible  to  define  up  to  21 
characters,  which  can  then  be  used  in 
PRINT  statements  in  Basic  programs. 

The  following  sub-routine  will  permit  any 
number  of  UD  graphics  to  be  printed.  It 
can  be  used  in  any  Basic  program,  but  for 
demonstration  purposes  assume  that  an 
adventure  program  is  being  written,  that 
the  program  requires  the  graphic 
representation  of  16  monsters,  each  using 
four  graphic  characters,  16  weapons  of  one 
character  each  and  an  odd  nine  graphics 
each  requiring  a  single  character.  A  total  of 


iO  REM  ************ 

20  REM  **  LOADER  ** 
30  REM  ************ 

40  CLEAR  64823 

50  LOAD  "UBG89"  CODE 

60  LOAD  "TEST" 

SAME  "UDG  TEST"  LINE  10 


/  isling  I:  key  in  the  louder 


10  REN  ************** 
20  REH  *♦  MOUE  UDG  ** 
30  REH  ************** 
40  CLEAR  64823 
50  LOAD  "Ul"  64824*160 
60  LOAD  "U2"  64984*160 
70  LOAD  'U3"  65144,160 
80  LOAD  "U4"  65304,160 
90  LOAD  'U5"  65464,72 
100  CLS 

110  PRINT  "LOADED  READY  TO  SflUE" 
120  PAUSE  0 
130  CLS 

140  SAME  'UDG89'  CODE  64824,712 
150  PRINT  'ANY  KEY  TO  M€RIFY" 
160  PAUSE  0 
170  CLS 

180  UERIFY  "UDG89"  CODE  64824,712 
190  PRINT"0K' 


89  UD  graphics  in  all.  Their  names  are 
listed  below. 

Two  blank  C  15  cassette  tapes  and  the 
HORIZONS  tape  will  be  needed.  Mark  the 
blank  tapes  one  and  two.  Tape  one  will 
store  the  final  demonstration  program 
consisting  of  three  chained  parts. 

The  first  will  be  a  simple  Basic  loader, 
setting  RAMTOP  to  a  new  value  and 
loading  the  other  two  parts.  The  second 
part  will  be  the  89  UD  graphics  in  code  and 
the  third  part  will  consist  of  the  sub- 
routine, together  with  a  test  routine  to 
demonstrate  it  works.  Tape  two  will  be  a 
working  tape  to  store  code  temporarily. 

Four  squares 

The  first  requirement  is  to  key  in  the 
program  Loader  (Listing  1).  It  is  very  short 
and  should  present  no  problem.  Line  40  sets 
RAMTOP  to  64823,  protecting  the  89  UD 
graphics.  This  should  be  saved  on  tape  one 
by  (he  command  SAVE  "UDG  TEST" 
LINE  10.  It  must  auto-run.  After 
verification  permit  the  tape  to  run  on  for  a 
few  seconds  then  stop  it.  Do  not  rewind  it. 
Put  tape  one  to  one  side. 

The  89  UD  graphics  will  occupy  the  top 
172  addresses  from  64824  to  65535.  For 
clarity  number  these  graphics  Gl  to  G89. 
When  they  have  been  loaded  into  the 
memory,  the  memory  map  will  look  like 
figure  1 . 


The  four  graphic  squares  for  the 
monsters  will  represent  a  monster's  left  top, 
right  top,  left  bottom  and  right  bottom. 
Together  with  the  weapons  they  will  have  to 
be  entered  into  the  memory  in  a  set  running 
order,  keeping  the  odd  nine  to  the  end  of 
the  run  so  that  Gl  will  represent  the  living 
skeleton's  left  top  G2  the  living  skeleton's 
right  top  G3  the  living  skeleton's  left 
bottom  G4  the  living  skeleton's  right 
bottom  G5  the  spade  G6  the  mummy's  left 
top  and  so  on,  running  through  all  the 
monsters  and  weapons  in  turn.  The  odd 
nine  graphics  follow  ending  with  G88. 

the  table  sets  out  the  running  order  for  all 
the  graphics  from  Gl  to  G89.  The  char- 
acters must  now  be  constructed  and 
defined.  Use  squared  paper  to  draw  the 
graphics  first  by  filling  in  the  squares  on  a 
16x16  grid  in  the  case  of  the  monsters  and 
an  8  x  8  grid  in  the  case  of  the  weapons  and 
the  odd  nine. 

When  satisfied  with  the  result,  LOAD  the 
program  characters  from  the  HORIZON 
tape.  Using  this  program  and  with  the  help 
of  the  drawings,  construct  graphics  Gl  to 
G20  (monsters  and  weapons  1  to  4), 
defining  them  as  graphic  A  to  graphic  T. 

Save  these  on  tape  two  as  'ul'.  Now 
repeat  the  process  for  G21  to  G40  (monsters 
and  weapons  5  to  8)  saving  them  on  tape 
two  as  'u2',  after  'ul'.  Repeat  the  process 
for  G41  to  G60  and  G61  to  G80,  saving 
them  as  'u3'  and  'u4'.  The  odd  nine,  G81  to 
G89  should  be  defined  as  graphic  A  to 
graphic  I  and  saved  as  'u5'.  On  tape  two 
should  now  be  five  blocks  of  UD  graphics 
saved  as  'ul',  'u2',  'u3',  'u4'  and  'u5\  in 
the  correct  running  order  from  Gl  to  G89. 

They  must  now  be  LOADed  into  the 
memory  in  their  proper  addresses.  Program 
"MOVE  UDG"  (Listing  2)  will  do  this.  To 
delete  the  characters,  program  switch  the 
computer  off  and  on  at  the  main.  Now  you 
can  key  "MOVE  UDG".  Line  40  sets  t> 


/  isling  2;  the  graphics  arc  loaded  into  the 
memory 


THE  ODD  NINE 

LET  A= 

GRAPHIC 

 CHARACTER 

WIZARD'S  LEFT  HAND 

G81 

16 

»F' 

WIZARD'S  RIGHT  HAND 

G82 

16 

'G' 

NAP  (ENPTY  CAVE) 

G83 

16 

'  H' 

HAP  (TREASURE) 

G84 

16 

'I' 

HALL 

G85 

16 

'J' 

PLAYER 

G86 

16 

'  K' 

STAIRS 

G87 

16 

'L' 

HEALING  HELL 

G88 

16 

'  M' 

FIERY  PIT 

G89 

16 

'  N' 

The  odd  nine  graphics  which  should  he  entered  into  memory  in  a  set  running  ordei 


V 


6U832 

V 


V 


V 


G1 


G2 


G3 


_ 


— 


A 


61*823 
( RAMTOP) 


A 

6^831 


A 

6!i»39 


A 

6U8U7 


Figure  I  shows  what  the  memory  map  should  look  like  offer  the  graphics  have  been  loaded 


February  1984  Micro  Adventurer  13 


<]  RAMTOP  to  protect  your  graphics. 
RUN  the  program  and  having  rewound 
tape  two  to  the  beginning,  depress  the  play 
key  on  the  cassette  player. 

LINES  50  to  LINE  90  will  LOAD  each  of 
the  five  blocks  into  that  part  of  the 
computer's  memory  where  we  wish  to  store 
them.  The  prompt  on  LINE  110  confirms 
that  all  is  well.  The  remainder  of  the 
program  is  a  SAVE  and  VERIFY  routine. 

Larger  program 

With  tape  one  in  the  cassette  player  set  it 
to  record  and  the  depression  of  any  key  on 
the  keyboard  will  SAVE  the  89  UD  graphics 
as  code.  At  this  stage  tape  one  should 
contain  the  Basic  Loader  SAVEd  as 
"UDG  TEST"  LINE  10  followed  by  the 

UD  graphics  SAVEd  as  "UDG89"  CODE. 
Rewind  the  tape  to  the  beginning  and  any 
key  on  the  keyboard  will  VERIFY 
"UDG89"  CODE.  Again  permit  the  tape 
to  wind  on  a  few  seconds  before  stopping. 

The  sub-routine,  to  enable  all  these 
graphics  to  be  PRINTed,  must  now  be 
examined.  It  is  anticipated  that  the  routine 
would  form  part  of  a  much  larger  Basic 
program.  Before  the  routine  is  called,  a 
variable  called  A  must  be  set  with  a  value 
between  one  and  16,  corresponding  to  the 
specified  monster  or  weapon. 

The  routine  is  called  "SET  UDG"  and  is 
shown  in  Listing  3.  It  would  be  called  in  any 
program  by  the  statement  GOSUB  40.  In 
LINES  70  and  80  addresses  23675  and 
23676  hold  a  systems  variable  called  UDG 
which  points  to  the  address  holding  the  first 
byte  of  graphic  A.  To  make  UDG  point  to 
address  64824  (the  first  byte  of  Gl)  so  that 
graphic  A  matches  up  with  Gl,  it  is 
necessary  to  POKE  23675,56  and  POKE 
23676,253.  (See  page  175  of  the  Spectrum 
Manual). 

If,  after  NEWing,  you  enter  these  two 
direct  commands,  you  will  find  that  key 
graphic  A  will  PRINT  the  Living  Skeleton's 
left  top,  graphic  B  the  right  top,  graphic  C 
the  left  bottom  and  graphic  D  the  right 
bottom. 

By  using  PRINT  AT  statements  you  can 
now  display  the  monster  anywhere  on  the 
screen.  To  use  the  same  keys  to  PRINT  the 
corresponding  anatomy  of  the  next 
monster,  the  mummy,  UDG  must  point  40 
bytes  further  along  the  memory.  The 
statement  POKE  23675,56  +  40*  (a—) 
will  work  for  the  lower  values  of  A.  But  if 


10  REH  ************* 

20  REH  **  SET  UDG  ** 
30  REM  ************* 
40  LET  B=56+40*(fl-l) 
50  LET  C=253 
60  IF  B>255  THEN  LET 
70  POKE  23675»B 
80  POKE  23676iC 
SO  RETURN 


C=C+i:LET  B=B-256:G0T0  60 


/  town  3:  the  SET  UFXi  routine 

100  REN  ********** 

110  REN  **  TEST  ** 

120  REN  ********** 

130  CLS 

140  INPUT  'INPUT  ft  (1-16)"5  LINE  A* 

150  IF  ftt=""  THEN  GOTO  140 

160  IF  fl*="KB  OR  fl$="L"  THEN  GOTO  270 

170  IF  LEN  fl$>2  THEN  GOTO  140 

180  FOR  D=l  TO  LEN  HI 

190  IF  A*<B><"0'  OR  fl$(B)>"9"  THEN  GOTO 

140 

200  NEXT  B 

210  LET  fl=UflL  fl* 

220  IF  ft<l  OR  fl>16  THEN  GOTO  140 

230  GOSUB  40 

240  PRINP'AfTAB  75"AB'5TAB  215  "E'fTflB 

75 "CD" 

250  IF  A=16  THEN  PRINT' 1  TAB  75 "FG  H  I  J 

K  L  H  N" 

260  GOTO  140 

270,  LIST 

SAUE  "TEST"  LINE  130 

/  istinft  4:  key  in  lines  1(H)  to  270  of  the  routine 

the  value  to  be  POKEd  into  23675  exceeds 
255,  1  must  be  added  to  the  value  to  be 
POKEd  into  23676  while  256  is  subtracted 
from  the  value  POKEd  into  23675. 

Various  inputs 

LINE  60  takes  care  of  this.  There  is  a 
GOTO  statement  at  the  end  of  this  line 
which  returns  you  to  the  beginning  of  the 
line.  For  higher  values  of  A  the  program 
must  run  through  this  line  twice.  While 
graphic  E  will  PRINT  the  16  weapons  by 
setting  the  variable  A  to  the  corresponding 
weapon  number  (see  the  table),  by  setting  A 
to  equal  16  the  odd  line  (G8I-G89)  can  be 
PRINTed  using  graphic  keys  F  to  I. 

After  entering  the  sub-routine,  key  in 
LINES  100  to  270  of  the  routine  called 
TEST  (Listing  4),  so  that  they  follow  on. 


LINE  140  invites  the  INPUT  of  a  value  for 
the  variable  A.  At  this  stage  INPUTting  k 
or  I  will  cause  the  program  to  jump  to 
LINE270and  LIST.  LINES  150 and  170  to 
220  are  error  traps  and  will  return  the 
program  to  LINE  140  for  various  erroneous 
inputs. 

LINE  230  calls  the  SET  UDG  sub- 
routine and  LINES  240  and  250  PRINT  the 
results. 

This  should  now  be  SAVEd  on  tape  one 
after  'udg89'  CODE  by  entering  as  a  direct 
command,  SAVE  "TEST"  LINE  130.  The 
sub-routine  can  now  be  tested.  To  make  the 
test  fair  RANDOMIZE  USR  0  and  LOAD 
tape  one  in  its  entirety. 

The  advantage  of  this  routine  lies  in  the 
saving  of  program  length  and  the  speed  up 
of  operation. 


MONSTER 

LIVING  SKELETON 
MUMMY 
DEMON 
ZOMBIE 

FIRE  ELEMENTAL 

VAMPIRE 

MIND  VAMPIRE 

WRAITH 

DRAGON 

WEREWOLF 

CYCLOPS 

SANDMAN 

HARPIE 

GIANT  SERPENT 
BALROG 
LICH 


LT 

Gl 
G6 
Gil 
GI6 
G2I 
G26 
G3I 
G36 
G4I 
G46 
G51 
G56 
G61 
G66 
G7I 
G76 


RT 

G2 
G7 
G12 
G17 
G22 
G27 
G32 
G37 
G42 
G47 
G52 
G57 
G62 
G67 
G72 
G77 


LB 

G3 
G8 
GI3 
GI8 
G23 
G28 
G33 
G38 
G43 
G48 
G53 
G58 
G63 
G68 
G73 
G78 


RB 

G4 
G9 
GI4 
G19 
G24 
G29 
G34 
G39 
G44 
G49 
G54 
G59 
G64 
G69 
G74 
G79 


WEAPON 

SPADE 
FIRE  WHIP 
SWORD 

SILVER  SWORD 

SILVER  STAFF 

SAINTLY  STAFF 

TALISMAN 

CROSS 

SHIELD 

TORCH 

INVISIBLE  CLOAK 
CLUB 

HOLY  WATER 
BOW  AND  ARROWS 
MAGIC  SHIELD 
EMPTY  BOTTLE 


LET  A 


G5 

1 

GIO 

2 

GI5 

3 

G20 

4 

G25 

5 

G30 

6 

G35 

7 

G40 

8 

G45 

9 

G50 

10 

G55 

II 

G60 

12 

G65 

13 

G70 

14 

G75 

15 

G80 

16 

•E" 

14  Micro  Adventurer  February  1984 


OPERATION 
GREMLIN  .  .  . 

A  very  different  game  that 
combines  the  intrigue  of 
adventure  with  the  real  time, 
machine  code  speed  of  arcade 
action.  The  player  must 
control  not  one,  but  EIGHT 
different  troopers ,  each  with 
their  own  character  status,  in 
the  search  for  the  weapons 
that  will  destroy  THE  GREMLINS 

DRAGON 
TREK 

Dragon  Trek  is  a  new 
implementation  of  a 
classic  game,  taking 
full  advantage  of  the 
Dragons  hi-res 
graphics  and  sound 
capabilities.  Your 
starship's  impressive 
armament  is 
comprised  of  high 
energy  Photon 
Torpedoes  and 
Phasers.  Both  long 
and  short  range 
scanners  (in  full 
graphics)  enable  you 
to  track  the  Klingons 
and  your  onboard 
computer  will  give 
you  extra  tactical 
facilities.  As 
commander  you  will 
have  to  use  strategy 
and  cunning  to  outwit 
the  enemy. 

THE  RING 
OF  DARKNESS 

BRITAIN'S  No.  1 
ADVENTURE  GAME 
FOR  THE  DRAGON  32 
IS  NOW  AVAILABLE  FOR 
THE  48K  SPECTRUM  AND  ORIC 


THE  RING  OF  DARKNESS  is  a  complete 
role  playing  adventure  in  hi-res 
graphics,  featuring  a  detailed  land 
filled  with  towns,  3D  dungeons,  forests 
and  seas,  and  populated  by  kings, 
princesses ,  evil  rangers  and  other 
strange  creatures.  All  versions  are 
identical  with  respect  to  the 
adventure.  The  Oric  version  is 
recorded  in  fast  mode  only.  Many 
hours  of  mystery  and  suspense 
await  you  in  your  quest  to  find 
The  Ring  Of  Darkness. 

ORDER  WITH  CONFIDENCE: 
All  titles  in  stock  are 
dispatched  by  return  of  post. 

SEND  SAE  FOR  OUR  FREE 
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Selected  titles  are  also 
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Complete  this  order  form  and  post  it  to:  WINTERSOFT, 
Dept.  DU  ,  30  Uplands  Park  Rd. ,  Enfield,  Middx.,  EN2  7PT. 

DRAGON  32 

The  Ring  Of  Darkness   £9.95 

Dragon  Trek   £6.95 

Pepper's  Game  Pack   £6.95 

Artist's  Designer   £6.95 

ORIC-1  4BK 

The  Ring  Of  Darkness   £9.95 

Operation  Gremlin   £6.95 

SPECTRUM  48K 

The  Ring  Of  Darkness   £9.95 

I  enclose  my  cheque/PO  for  £  

NAME  

ADDRESS   

All  prices  Include  p&p,  VAT  and  the  WINTERSOFT  guarantee  of  quality  and  reliability 


WINTERSOFT,  30,  Uplands  Park  Road, 
Enfield ,  Middlesex  EN2  7PT. 

DEALER  ENQUIRIES  WELCOME  01-367  5720 


The  ultimate  adventure 
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An  epic  three  part  journey,  taking  up  over  90K  of  memory.  Packed  with 
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before  time  runs  out!  You  start  in  the  serene  English  countryside,  then  travel 
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ONLY  £7.95  from  all  good  software  retailers  or  send  cheque/PO  to  us  at: 

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Adventure,  strategy  and  war  games  galore!  We  offer  an  unrivalled  selection 
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ATARI 

□Adventure  Quest  LEV9  9.50  C  lAdventureland  ADIN  d29  00 
14.50  IBIade  of  Blackpoole  SRSS  d27.50  GCastle 
Wolfenstein  MUSE  d21 .50  DColossal  Adventure  LEV9  9.50 
□Conflict  MART  14.75  n Cranston  Manor  SOL  d14.50 
□Crush  Crumble  Chomp  EPYX  (J21.50  21.50  UCurse  of  Ra 
EPYX  13.50  ;  Dark  Crystal  SOL  d27.50  QOeadline  INFO 
d34  50  □Dungeon  Adventure  LEV9  9.50  Empire  of  the 
Overmind  AHGC  d25.00  22.00  I  Enchanter  INFO  d37  95 
□Galaxy  Conflict  MART  14.75  [^Gateway  to  Apshai  EPYX 
r26  00  IGhost  Town  ADIN  d29  00  14  50  Golden  Voyage 
ADIN  d29.00  14.50  !  Gruds  in  Space  SRSS  d27  50  llnfidel 
INFO  d37.50  DLords  of  Darma  AHGC  14.50  [  IMission 
Impossible  ADIN  d29.00  14  50  Mission  Asteroid  SOL 
d14.50  IMystery  Fun  House  ADIN  d29.00  14.50 
□0'Riley's  Mine  DSFT  d21 .50  21  50  I  Pirate's  Adventure 
ADIN  d29.00  14.50  I  Pyramid  of  Doom  ADIN  d29.00  14.50 
□Roman  Empire  MCLO  12.50  TJSavage  Island  1,  2  ADIN 
d29.00  14.50  I  Snooper  Troops:  Casel  SPNK  d28  00 
□Snooper  Troops:  Case2  SPNK  d28.00  [  Snowball  LEV9 
9.50  Spy  Strikes  Back  PENG  d14.30  !  Spy's  Demise 
PENG  15.95  ^Starcross  INFO  d29.00  Strange  Odyssey 
ADIN  d29.00  14.50  ;  Suspend  INFO  d35.00  I  Temple  of 
Apshai  EPYX  d29.00  t  The  Adventure  of  Proto  EDUC  d17.95 
17.95  I  IThe  Count  ADIN  d29.00  14.50  ;  Upper  Reaches  of 
Apshai  APYX  d13  50  13.50  IVoodoo  Castle  ADIN  d29.00 
14.50:  Witness  INFO  d35. 00  IWizard  of  War  ROCK  r29.95 
Zork  I,  II,  III  INFO  d29 .00 


BBC 

Adventure  Quest  LEV9  9.50    Arrow  of  Death  I,  II  CB  9.95 
Battlezone  2000  MCLD  6  95    JCastle  of  Riddles  ACRN 
9.95  r  Circus  DGTL  9.95  I  Colossal  Adventure  LEV9  9.50 
Conflict  MART  14.75  I  Countdown  to  Doom  ACRN  9.95 
Dictator  DKTR  6.95    Dragonquest  BYTE  11  50  Dragon 
Adventure  LEV9  9.50  t  lEscape  from  Pulsar7  DGTL  9.95 
□  Feasibility  Experiment  DGTL  9  95    Galaxy  Conflict  MART 
14.75  ::johnny  Reb  MCLO  6  95     Kingdom  of  Hamil  ACRN 
9.95     Old  Father  Time  BYTE  9  50  I  Paras  MCLD  6.95 
Perseus  and  Andromeda  DGTL  9  95     Pharaoh's  Tomb 
A&FS  7  99  [  Philosapher's  Quest  ACRN  9  95  Roman 
Empire  MCLD  6.95  I  Snowball  LEV9  9.50  MSpace  Kingdom 
SFA  7.95     Sphinx  Adventure  ACRN  9.95     Ten  Little 
Indians  DGTL  9.95  I  The  Hobbit  MELH  14  50     The  Golden 
Baton  DGTL  9  95     The  Time  Machine  DGTL  9.95  I  The 
Wizard  Akyrz  DGTL  9.95  I  Time  Traveller  SULI  7.95 
□Tower  of  Altos  A&FS  6.90 


COMMODORE  64 

□Adventure  Quest  LEV9  9.50  I  Alice  In  Wonderland  ADGC 
d27  50  r  JArrow  of  Death  1,  11  C8  9.95    Aztec  Tomb  AGTA 
7.75    Blade  of  Blackpoole  SRSS  (J27.50  [  Circus  C8  9.95 
Colossal  Adventure  LEV9  9.50  I  Conflict  MART  14  75 

□  Cosmic  Capers  SSFT  d10  00  7  50  Xrush  Crumble 
Chomp  EPYX  d21 .50  I  ! Curse  of  Ra  EPYX  13.50  !  Deadline 
INFO  d34  50  Dungeon  Adventure  LEV9  9  50  Enchanter 
INFO  d37  95  Escape  from  Pulsar7  C8  9  95  I  Feasibility 
Exit  C8  9.95  L  JFool's  Gold  ROMK  6.75  Forbidden  Forest 
COSM  11.95  Galaxy  Conflict  MART  14.75  Gateway  to* 
Apshai  EPYX  r26  00  :  Goblin  Towers  DDGY  d10.50  9.00 
□Golden  Baton  C8  9  95  JGruds  in  Space  SRSS  d27  50 
□High  Flyer  CBMS  d14  95  nin  Search  of  the  Most  Amazing 
Thing  SPNK  d21.50  !  llnfidel  INFO  d37  50  r  Knights  of  the 
Desert  STSI  d29.00  29.00  I  Midway  Campaign  AHGC  1 1  50 
□0'Rileys  Mine  DSFT  <J21  50  21  50  !  Perseus  &  Adromeda 
C8  9.95  :  Planetfall  INFO  d35.00  [  Ring  of  Power  0UIK  9.95 
□Ship  of  the  Line  SHEP  6  50  i  Snooper  Troops:  Casel 
SPNK  d28.00  I  Snooper  Troops:  Case2  SPNK  d28.00 

□  Snowball  LEV9  9.50  HStarcross  INFO  d29.00 
□Suspended  INFO  d36  00  I  ISword  of  Fargoal  EPYX  d20.50 
20  50  I  ITelengard  AHGC  16.50  [JTemple  of  Apshai  EPYX 
r20  50  20.50  7  Ten  Little  Indians  C8  9.95  I  :The  Cracks  of 
Fire  SSFT  dIO.OO  7.50  I  IThe  Hobbit  MELH  14  50  DIN 
Island  SPRB  9.75  I  IThe  Streets  of  London  SSFT  d10.50  9.00 
□Time  Machine  C8  9  95  I  Token  of  Ghall  INTM  6.75 
□Tombs  of  Xeiops  ROMK  6  75  .  Upper  Reaches  of  Apshai 
EPYX  d13  50  13  50  T  Witness  INFO  d35.00  Wizard  of 
Akyrz  C8  9  95     Zork  I,  II,  III  INFO  d29.00 


VIC  20 

(minimum  expansion  required:  *  3K  **  8K  ***  16K  or  E) 

Adventureland  CBM  d9.99  I  Animal  Magic  ROMK 
5  99  ;  Curse  of  the  Werewolf  (E)  TERM  9.95  Dark 
Dungeons  {***)  ANRG  5  95  F  Dracula  +  Last  in  the  Dark 
ANRG  5.95  Dlnto  the  Labyrinth  ABCS  5.99  Magic  Mirror 
(E  TERM  9.95  C  Mission  Impossible  CBM  9.99  LNosferatu 
(**)  TERM  9.95  :  Pharoah's  Tomb  ('")  ANRG  5.95 

Pirate  Cove  CBM  9  99  HRescue  from  the  Castle  Dread  (E) 
TERM  9  95  Strategic  Advance  (E)  CBM  9.99  (  ISword  of 
Hrakel  (*)  ROMK  5.99  The  Count  CBM  9  99  The 
Dungeons  (***)  ANRG  5.95  I  The  Golden  Apples  (**)  ROMK 
4.99  l  The  Wizard  and  Princess  MELH  5.95  i  Tomb  of 
Drewan  (E)  ADGC  12.95  DTrader  QUIK  14.95  Voodoo 
Castle  CBM  9.99  I  IZak  s  Kingdom  (***)  ANRG  5.95 
□Zorgon's  Kingdom  (*#)  ROMK  6  99 

DRAGON 

Alien  Odyssey  BMBY  9.95  I  IBIack  Sanctum  DD  7.95 
□Calisto  Island  DD  7.95  i  Castle  Adventure  VIRG  6.95 
Conflict    MART    14.75    L  Deadwood    A&FS    6  90 

□  Deadwood  A&FS  6.90  I  Dragon  Mountain  DD  7.95  DEI 
Diablero  DD  7.95  [Escape  MIDL  8.00  Final  Countdown  DD 
7.95  □ Galaxy  Conflict  MART  14.75  □Golden  Apples  BMBY 
5  95  Into  the  Labyrinth  ABCS  5  99:  Jerusalem  Adventure 
MIDL  8.00  nKeys  of  Roth  CORE  6.95  [  Keys  of  the  Wizard 
MIDL  8.00  i  Madness  and  the  Minotaur  DD  7.95  I  Mansion 
of  Doom  Dd  7.95  DMansion  Adventurel  MIDL  8.00 
;  Pelopannesian  War  MCLO  6.95  Pettigrews  Diary  (3-part) 
SHRD  7.95  I  Phantom  Slayer  MIDL  8.00'  Pirate  ABCO  8.50 

Planetary  Trader  BMBY  5.95  DPoseidon  Adventure  DD 
7.95  l  lQuest  DD  7.95  I  Roman  Empire  MCLO  6.95 

□  Samurai  Warrior  MCLO  6  95  I  iScanner  13  BMBY  8.45 
Space  Monopoly  MIDL  8.00  I  JSTalag/Eno  DD  7  95 

□Super  Spy  SHEP  6.50  I  Surprise  BMBY  8.95 
□Translyvanian  Tower  SHEP  6.50  [  ITyrant  of  Athens  MCLO 
6.95    Ultimate  Adventure  MIDL  8.00  I  Warlord  MCLO  6  95 

□  Williamsburg       Boulevard       MIDL  8.00 

ZX  SPECTRUM  (48K) 

□Airline  CCS  6.00  I  Auto  Chef  CCS  6  00  !  Adventure 
Quest  LEV9  9  50  DArrow  of  Death  I,  II  C8  9.95  Bedlam 
MCLO  5.95  HBIack  Crystal  CARN  7.50  L_ Circus  DGTL  9.95 
□Collossal  Adventure  LEV9  9.50    Colossal  Caves  CPS  6.95 

□  Conflict  Mart  11 .95  □  Confrontation  MCLO  7.95  -  Corn 
Cropper  CC  6.00  I  Dallas  CCS  6.00  I  Dictator  DKTR  5.95 

□  Domain   ABCS   4.95   nDreadnaughtsn    MCLO  5.95 

□  Dungeon  Adventure  LEV9  9.50  ZDungeon  Master  CRYS 
7  50  :  Embassy  Assault  SINC  4  95  I  Escape  from  Pulsar  7 
DGTL  9.95  Espionage  Island  ARTC  6.95  ^Everest  Ascent 
SHEP  6.50  Faust's  Folly  ABBX  5.95  ;  Feasibility 
Experiment  DGTL  9.95  HGalaxy  Conflict  MART  11.95 
□Golden  Apple  ARTC  6.95  "Halls  of  Things  CRYS  7.50 
□Inca  Curse  ARTC  6.95  ^Invincible  Island  SHEP  6  50 
□Johnny  Reb  MCLO  5.50     JMad  Martha  MIGN  5.50 

□  Mines  of  Saturn/Return  MIGN  5  50  Perseus  and 
Andromeda  DGTL  9.95  aPlanet  of  Death  ARTC  6.95  HPrint 
Shop  CCS  6.00  □Privateer  MCLO  4.50  LJRedweed  MCLO 
5.50  iJRescue  CORE  5.95  DRoman  Empire  MCLO  5.50 

□  Ship  of  the  Line  SHEP  6.50  Ship  of  Doom  ARTC  6  95 
□Snowball  LEV9  9.50  L  Sorcerer's  Castle  MIGN  5.50 
□Space  Island  TERM  5.95  □Stargazer  s  Secrets  CORE  5  95 

ISuper  Spy  SHEP  6  50  LlTen  Little  Indians  DGTL  9.95 
IThe  Castle  BYTE  6.95  :  IThe  Crypt  CARN  4.95  I  The 
Golden  Baton  DGTL  9.95  !  :The  Hobbit  MELH  14.50  i  IThe 
Incredible  Adventure  CORE  5.95  :  The  Korth  Trilogy  1: 
Escape  from  Arkaron  PENG  4  95  QThe  Korth  Trilogy  2: 
Beseiged  PENG  4.95  :^The  Korth  Trilogy  3:  Into  the  Empire 
PENG  4  95  !  The  Time  Machine  DGTL  9.95  DThe  Warlock  of 
Firetop  Mountain  PENG  6.95  I  IThe  Wizard  Akyrz  DGTL  9.95 
□Time  Traveller  SULI  7.95  UTrader  QUIK  9.95 
□Translyvanian  Tower  SHEP  6.50  CTyrant  of  Athens  MCLO 
5.50  □Valhalla  LGND  14.95  !  Vampire  Village  TERM  6.95 
□Volcanic  Dungeon  CARN  5.00  [  Warlord  MCLO  5.50 
□Woods  of  Winter  CORE  5.95  I  Wrath  of  Magra  CARN 
12.50 

ZX81 

□Adventure   BYTE  5  95   I  IBIack  Crystal  CARN  7.50 
Conflict  MART  1 1  95  (  I  Damsel  and  the  Beast  BYTE  6.50 


Dictator  BYTE  9  00  □Espionage  Island  ARTC  5.95 
:  Galaxy  Conflict  MART  11.95    ilnca  Curse  ARTC  5  95 
I  iMarchant  of  Venus  CRYS  5.50  I  Ocean  Trader  QUIK  3  95 
Peloponnesian  War  MCLO  4.50  I  ;Pioneer  Trail  QUIK  3  95 
Planet  of  Death  ARTC  5.95     Privateer  MCLO  4  50 
:  Roman  Empire  MCLO  4.50  I  Samurai  Warrior  MCLO  4  50 
Ship  of  Doom  ARTC  5.95  [  The  Island  CRYS  7  50 
Trader  QUIK  9.95  □Tyrant  of  Athens  MCLO  4.50 
□Volcanic  Dungeon  CARN  5.00  I  Warlord  MCLD  4  50 
Wumpus  Adventure  CARN  5.00 

IBM  PC 

(may  require  graphics  board) 

Curse  of  Ra  EPYX  13  50  I  Crush  Crumble  Chop  EPYX 
d21  50  Dark  Crystal  SOL  627  50  Deadline  INFO  d34. 50 
□Enchanter  INFO  d37.95  I  llnfidel  INFO  d37  50  I  Midway 
Campaign  AHGC  15.00  I  ISnooper  Troops:  Casel  SPNK 
d28  00  I  ISnooper  Troops:  Case2  SPNK  d28  00  I  Starcross 
INFO  d29.00  Temple  of  Apshai  EPYX  d29  00  I  Ulysses 
and  the  Golden  Fleece  SOL  d25  50  I  ;Upper  Reaches  of 
Apshai  EPYX  d13.50  I  Witness  INFO  d35.00  Zork  I,  II,  III 
INFO  d29.00 

APPLE  II 

Adventureland  ADIN  d29.00  I  Blade  of  Blackpoole  SRSS 
d27.50  I  Castle  Wolfenstein  MUSE  d21 .50  Cranston 
Manor  SOL  d21 .50  I  Crush  Crumble  Chomp  EPYX  d21  50 
□Deadline  INFO  d34.50  I  Empire  of  the  Overmind  AHGC 
d25.00  22.00  [Enchanter  INFO  d37  95  Ghost  Town  ADIN 
d29.00  Golden  Voyage  ADIN  d29.00  I  Gruds  in  Space 
SRSS  d27.50  Infidel  INFO  d37  50  !  Knight  of  Diamonds 
SIRT  d25.00  [  Legacy  of  Llylgamon  SIRT  d29.00  !"  Lords  of 
Karma  AHGC  14.50  I  Mission  Impossible  ADIN  d29  00 

Mission  Asteroid  SOL  d  1 4 . 50  IMystery  Fun  House  ADIN 
d29  00  [  IMystery  House  SOL  d14 .50  I  Pirate  s  Adventure 
Adin  d29.00  I  Pyramid  of  Doom  ADIN  d29  00  i  Savage 
Island  1  and  2  ADIN  d29.00  :  Spy  Strikes  Back  PENG 
d14  30  [  Starcross  INFO  d29  00  Strange  Odyssey  ADIN 
d29.00  C  Suspended  INFO  d35.00  I  Temple  of  Apshai  EPYX 
d29.00    IThe  Count  ADIN  d29  00    Time  Zone  SOL  d24  00 

Ulysses  and  the  Golden  Fleece  SOL  d24  00  I  JUpper 
Reaches  of  Apshai  EPYX  d13.50  I  Voodoo  Castle  AdlN 
d29.00  [  Witness  INFO  d35.00  I  Wizard  and  the  Princess 
SOL  d21  50  Wizardry  SIRT  d36.00  IZork  I.  II.  Ill  INFO 
d29  00 

TEXAS  TI99/  4a 

(*  require  Adventure  &  Pirate  ROM) 

□  Adventure*  Pirate  TEX  r24  95    Adventureland  Tex  14  95 

□  Chisolm  Trail  TEX  r19  95  I  Ghost  Town  (•)  TEX  14.95 

□  Mission  Impossible  (*)TEX  14.95  Pyramid  of  Doom  (*) 
TEX  14.95  :  lavage  Island  1,  2  Tex  14.95  Strange 
Odyssy  (*)  TEX  14.95  I  The  Count  (*)TEX  14  95  The 
Golden  Voyage  (•)  TEX  14  95    Tombstone  City  TEX  r14  95 

LYNX 

□Adventure  Quest  LEV9  9.50  :  .Colossal  Adventure  LEV9 
9  50  Dungeon  Adventure  LEV9  9  50  Snowball  LEV9 
9.50 

ORIC 

□Adventure  Quest  LEV9  9.50  I  Castle  BYTE  6  95 
□Colossal  Adventure  LEV9  9.50  Death  Satellite  A&FS 
6.90  Dungeon  Adventure  LEV9  9  50  Johnny  Reb  MCLO 
6  95  :  Snowball  LEV9  9.50  :  ^The  Hobbit  MELH  14  50 
□Zodiac  A&FS  6.90 

NASCOM 

Adventure  Quest  LEV9  9  50  Colossal  Adventure  LEV9 
9.50  TDungeon  Adventure  LEV9  9.50  Snowball  LEV9 
9.50 

TRS  80 

(*  Model  1.  **  Model  2.       Model  3) 

□  Deadline  (*  and  '*)  INFO  d34  50  Empire  of  the 
Overmind  AHGC  d25.00  22.00  I  Knights  of  the  Desert  STSI 
d29  00  29.00  L  Lords  of  Karma  AHGC  14  50  Midway 
Campaign  AHGC  11  50  i  Planetfall  (***)  INFO  d35.00 

Starcross  (*  and  "*)  INFO  d29.00  I  Witness  INFO 
d35  00 


55 


::::::: 


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10  North  Street,  Ashford,  Kent. 


A  division  of  T  Denne  &  Sons  Ltd 


18  Micro  Adventurer  February  1984 


micro 


How 


computer 


develops 


skills 


English 


Lyman  Alpha  describes  how  a  computer  acquires  the  skill 

of  English  comprehension 


INPUT 
sentences 


DOES 
sentences  HAVE 
A  SPACE  IN  IT? 


NO 


[yes 

verb$  =  LEFT 
SIDE  OF  THE 
sentences 

nounS  m  RIGHT 
SIDE  OF  THE 
sentences 

FIND  verb  code. 

verbS  = 

sentences 

nounS  =  "" 

A 


DOES 
THE  PROGRAM 
RECOGNISE  THE 
VERB? 


YES 


FIND  noun  code. 


NO 

PRINT 
UNKNOWN 
WORD 

A 


DOES 
THE  PROGRAM 
RECOGNISE  THE 
NOUN? 


NO 


YES 


ON  verb  code  GOSUB 


Mm 


— 








I  AM  SURE  you  have  wondered  at  least 
once  while  playing  an  adventure  game  how 
the  devil  you  would  make  a  micro 
understand  the  English  commands  and  that 
it  might  be  complicated. 

Well,  it  is  not  all  that  difficult  to  program 
a  computer  to  interpret  English,  making  it 
more  comprehensible  to  the  computer.  I 
will  give  you  several  example  routines  with 
differing  levels  of  complexity.  But  I  shall 
not  deal  with  individual  sub-routines  for 
commands  such  as  GET  and  INVENTORY 
as  they  can  differ  widely  with  one's  needs. 

Starting  from  the  basic  (verb)  (noun) 
format  I  shall  describe  how  to  deal  with 
even  the  most  complex  sentence  comprising 
(verb)    (article)    (adjective)  (noun) 

(and/then)  (  )  (and/then)  ...format. 

You  should  then  be  able  to  add  a  rather 
sophisticated  sub-routine,  enabling  you  to 
input  a  sentence  such  as:  GET  THE  RED 
APPLE  AND  EAT  IT  THEN  DRINK 
THE  LEMONADE.  (The  basics  (verb)  or 
(verb)  (noun)  format) 

In  order  to  make  the  computer 
understand  what  you  have  typed  in,  the 
program  has  to  replace  the  sentence  with 
token  numbers.  It  is  vital  to  tokenise  all 
verbs  and  nouns  you  want  in  your 
adventure  program  since  the  computer  can 
handle  numbers  much  more  effectively  than 
strings. 

To  illustrate  this  point,  let  us  say  that  we 
want  the  program  to  GET  LAMP  and  we 
had  assigned  numbers  2  to  the  verb  GET 
and  3  to  the  noun  LAMP.  Once  you  have 
converted  the  verb  to  a  number  you  can  use 
it  to  lead  the  computer  to  the  right  sub- 
routine using  ON   GOSUB  ........... 

The  GET  subroutine  will  add  item 
number  3  to  your  inventory  and  remove  it 
from  that  location.  Because  the  program 
uses  token  numbers  it  is  more  simple  and 
structured. 

Take  a  look  at  program  1  (written  in  BBC 
Basic)  and  flow  chart  1,  which  deals  with 
replacing  simple  (verb)  (noun)  commands 
with  token  numbers.  The  first  line  after  the 
input  of  sentences  is  to  see  if  the  command 
consists  of  a  single  verb  or  (verb)  (noun).  If 
it  is  just  a  single  verb  let  verbS  equal  to 
sentences,  or  split  sentences  into  verbS  and 
nounS  respectively.  It  then  finds  the  tokens 
for  the  verb  and  the  noun  and  sees  if  they 
are  the  words  recognised  by  the  program.  If 
they  are  not  it  tells  you  so  and  goes  back  to 
the  beginning  of  the  program.  The  program 
then  uses  ON  verb  code  GOSUB  ......  to 

call  the  required  sub-routine. 

The  function  FNfindverb  compares 
verbS  with  words  in  the  dictionary  DATA 
file.  If  the  REPEAT-UNTIL  loop  gets  to 
the  dummy  string  12345  then  the  function 
returns  TRUE.  TRUE  indicates  that  the 
verb  was  not  recognised  by  the  program. 
The  function  FNfindnoun  does  exactly  the 
same  for  nounS. 

Let's  add  definite  and  indefinite  articles 
and  pronouns  so  that  the  commands  are 
grammatically  correct  and  more  elegant. 
Add  lines  461  to  464  to  program  1.  These 
lines  will  do  everything  necessary  to  cater 
for  the  additional  format.  The  line  461  sees 
if  the  noun  was  "IT"  then  returns  the 


February  1984  Micro  Adventurer  19 


IMAGIN 


RICHARD  SHEPHERD 
SOFTWARE 


Devils  off  the  Deep 

Discover  the  secrets  of  Atlantis  as  you 
wander  amongst  its  ancient  columns. 
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treacherous  seabed !  Beware  of  giant 

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Can  you  survive  the  Top  of  The  Tower?  £6.50 

RICHARD  SHEPHERD 


S 


RICHARD  SHEPHERD 
SOFTWARE 


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All  programs  are  sold  subject  to  the  condition  that  they  may  not.  Dy  way  of  trade  or  otherwise,  De  lent,  hired  out.  resold  or  otherwise  circulated  without  the  written  permission  or  Richard  Shepherd 


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RICHARD  SHEPHERD 


SOFTWARE 


Ship  off  the  Line 

Command  a  sailing  ship,  juggle  your 
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battle  your  way  up  the  admiralty  ladder, 
bribe  Sea  Lords  as  necessary  until  you 
make  First  Sea  Lord!  £6.50 


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DI^U  A  DnisCUCDUCnn 


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ELM  HOUSE,  23-25  ELMSHOTT  LANE,  CIPPENHAM,  SLOUGH,  BERKSHIRE. 


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SCENT 


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defiance  of  all  the  obstacles,  man  and 
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avalanches,  cross  bottomless  crevasses, 
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previous  noun  code.  If  there  is  no  previous 
noun  code  then  it  sets  it  to  0,  which  is  the 
code  for  no  noun. 

Lines  462  to  464  test  if  the  articles  come 
before  the  noun  then  gets  rid  of  them.  The 
length  of  the  noun$  is  checked  because  the 
BBC  0.S  has  an  obscure  bug  that  causes  a 
crush  in  certain  conditions.  (See  BBC 
manual  under  INSTR). 

To  input  a  sentence  for  multiple 
functions  using  conjunctions  (AND)  and 
(THEN)  add  procedure  PROCandthen  and 
lines  101,  111,  and  190  to  the  original 
program  (see  addition  2).  The  line  101  tests 
if  sentences  includes  (AND)  or  (THEN), 
calls  PROCandthen  and  jumps  line  120. 
The  line  111  sets  sentences  to  nothing.  The 
line  190  tests  if  there  are  any  more 
commands  left  in  the  sentences  to  deal  with 
and  guides  the  program  to  the  right  place. 

PROCandthen  firstly  replaces  (THEN) 
with  (AND)  if  there  is  any  (THEN)  in 
sentences.  It  then  stores  the  bit  to  be  sorted 
out  first  to  tempS  and  put  the  rest  back  to 
sentences  to  be  dealt  with  later.  The 
variable  tempS  is  split  up  to  verbS  and 
nounS. 

Let's  add  adjectives  to  make  things 
pretty.  I  assume  that  the  adjectives  are 
unimportant  and  are  merely  cosmetic.  Add 
line  465.  This  filters  out  the  noun. 

Listing  2  is  the  final  version  of  the 
sentence  interpreter.  This  should  cover 
most  things  you  are  likely  to  input  during 
an  adventure  game.  It  is  easy  to  expand 
further.  What  this  boils  down  to  is  the 
following:  separate  the  words  you  have  to 
deal  with  and  replace  the  words  with  token 
code  numbers. 

The  final  program  is  about  2K  bytes.  But 
I  have  used  the  memory  inefficiently  to 
make  the  program  easier  to  read.  You  can 
replace  the  long  variable  words,  delete  the 
unnecessary  lines  and  use  multi-statement 
lines.  It  should  reduce  to  about  IK.  7D 


le 

28 
38 
40 
58 
68 
78 
88 
98 
188 
110 


REM 
REM 
REM 
REM 
REM 
REM 
REM 


SENTENCE  INTERPRETER  ( 1> 
<VERB>  OR  OJERB>   <NOUN>  FORMAT 


, sentence* 

")   THEN  verb*=LEFT*<  sentence*, INSTR<sentence*f ■ 

)>    ELSE  verb$=sentenc« 


130 
140 
150 
160 
170 
180 
198 
280 
218 
228 
238 
240 
250 
268 
278 
288 
290 
300 
310 
320 
338 
348 
358 
368 
378 
380 
390 
400 
418 
420 
430 
440 
450 
460 
478 
488 
498 
500 
510 
520 
530 
540 
550 
560 
570 


INPUT- INPUT  COMMAND" 
IF  INSTR< sentence*,- 
:noun*=RI6HT*< sen tence*,LEN( sentence*)  -INSTRC sen tence* , ■  • 

*snoun*=" ■ 

120  verbcode«FN-f  i  ndverb 

IF  verbcode=TRUE  THEN  PRINT" Unknown  verb  /B ;verb$}B' 

nouncode=FN-f  i  ndnoun 

IF  nouncode*TRUE  THEN  PRINT" Unknown  noun  "jnounij" 
PRlNT"verb»" ;verb*;TAB< 15) ■     verbcode=" ;verbcode 
PRINT"noun=" ;noun*;TAB< 15) ■     nouncod©"" ;nouncode 
ON  verbcode  60SUB  240,250,260,270,280,290 
GOTO108 


)-l) 


: GOTO  100 


: GOTO  100 


REM  ADD  YOUR  SUBROUTINES  HERE 


RETURN: REM 
RETURN; REM 
RETURN: REM 
RETURN: REM 
RETURN: REM 
RETURN: REM 


MOVEMENT  SUBROUTINE 
GET  SUBROUTINE 
DROP  SUBROUTINE 
LOOK  SUBROUTINE 
HELP  SUBROUTINE 
INVENTORY 


OR  word*=verb* 

=TRUE 


DEFFN-f  indverb 
RESTORE  410 
IX=0 
REPEAT 

READ  word* 

ix=i/.+ 1 

UNTIL  word*=" 12345" 
IF  word*=" 12345"  THEN 

=r/ 

DATA  GO , GET , DROP , LOOK , HELP , I NVENTORY 
DATA  12345 


DEFFN-f  i  ndnoun 
IF  noun*=""  THEN  =0 
RESTORE  550 
IX=0 
REPEAT 

READ  word* 

155-I5i* 1 

UNTIL  word*=" 12345" 
IF  word*=" 12345"  THEN 
=  IX 

DATA  NORTH , SOUTH , EAST , WEST 
DATA  LAMP, GOLD, RING, ARROW, MATCH 

DATA  12345 


OR  word*=noun* 
=TRUE 


>  ADDITION   1   (LINES  461-464) 

461  IF  noun$="IT"  THEN  =nouncode 

462  IF  INSTRCnoun*,-A  ■>   THEN  noun*=RIGHT*C noun*, LENC noun*)  -2) 

463  IF   INSTRC noun*, "AN  ")   THEN  noun*=RI GHT*C noun*, LEN< noun*) -3) 

464  IF  INSTRC noun*, -THE  ">   THEN  noun*=RI GHT*C noun* , LENC noun*) -4) 


AND  ")   OR  INSTRC  sen  tence* , 


>  ADDITION  2 
181   IF  LENCsentence*)>7  THEN  IF  INSTR< sen tence* , • 

THEN  °>  THEN  PROCandthen : GOTO  128 
111  sentence*25"  " 

198   IF  sentence*<>"-  THEN  GOTO   181  ELSE  GOTO  188 
688  DEFPROCandthen 
618  posi  t ion=8 

628  IF  INSTR(  sen  tence*,  "  THEN  "  >  THEN  sen  tence*=LEFT*<  sen  tence*,  INSTR(  sen  tence 
*,"  THEN  "))+"AND  -+RIGHT*Csentence*,LENCsentence*) -INSTRC sen tence* , "  THEN  ")-5> 
638  posi tion=INSTRC sentence*,"  AND  * ) 
648   temp*=LEFT*<  sen  tence* , posi  t  i  on- 1) 

658  sen tence*=R16HT*< sen tence*,LEN< sen tence*) -posi  tion-4) 

668   IF  INSTRC temp*,"   ")   THEN  verb*=LEFT*< temp* , INSTRC temp* , "    "> -1) :noun*=RIGHT 
*Ctemp*,LENC temp*) -INSTRC temp*,-   "))   ELSE  verb*=temp* : noun*=" " 
678  ENDPROC 

>  ADDITION  3 

465  IF  LENCnoun*)>2  THEN  IF  INSTRC noun*, »  »)  THEN  noun*=RI 6HT*C noun* , LENC noun* 
)-INSTRCnoun*,"  -)) 


22  Micro  Adventurer  February  1984 


micro 


Variety  in 
war  game 
scenarios 


Adventure  Confrontation 

Micro  Spectrum  48K  Price 

£7.95  Format  Cassette 

Supplier  MC  Lothlorien,  4 

Granby  Rd,  Cheadle  Hulme, 

Cheadle,  Cheshire. 

HAVING    already  sampled 

Lothlorien's  wares  in  the  form 

of  Johnny  Reb  I  jumped  at  the 

chance  of  trying  out  one  of 

their  latest  offerings, 
Confrontation. 

This  is  basically  a  design- 
your-own-battle  package  and 
will  do  for  wargaming  what 
The  Quill  has  done  for  text 
adventures. 

After  loading,  the  screen 
displays  the  seven  options 
available,  which  include  all  the 
necessary  routines  to  enable 
you  to  set  up  and  play  almost 
any  20th  century  battle  you  can 
think  of. 

The  final  option  allows  you 
to  load  a  pre-designed  scenario 
from  tape  and  they  have, 
thoughtfully,  included  one. 
Entitled  Two  Rivers  it  is  a  land 
and  air  battle  revolving  around 
the  sovereignty  of  six  cities 
three  of  which,  initially,  are 
controlled  by  each  side. 

Most  movement  commands 
can  be  entered  by  the  cursor 
keys,  which  is  a  welcome 
simplification. 

This  is  not  the  type  of  game 
where  you  play  against  the 
computer.  It  is  specifically 
designed  for  two  humans 
(remember  them?  They  used  to 
live  here  before  we  got 
computers)  to  sit  down  and 
settle  their  differences  on  a 
battlefield. 

The  two  armies  are  depicted 
as  red  and  blue  forces,  along 
very  similar  lines  to  those  used 
by  the  British  Army  on  man- 
oeuvres. 

Unit  types  are  only  shown 
when  typing  in  orders  or  when 
actually  engaged  in  combat. 
Your  opponent  might  know 
the  position  of  your  forces  but 
cannot  know  what  they  are 
until  he  meets  them  in  battle. 
This  tends  to  resemble  the 
secrecy  one  might  find  in  real 
warfare,  which  lends  itself  to 
some  highly  tactical  play. 

For  setting  up  your  scenario 
the  package  caters  for  all  types 
of  terrain,  dwelling  and  arms, 


©IFF 


What's  on  the  way  in  the  adventure  world  —  if 
you  have  a  new  adventure,  war  game  or  real-life 
simulation  which  you  are  about  to  release  send 
a  copy  and  accompanying  details  to 
Software  Inventory,  Micro  Adventurer, 
12-13  Little  Newport  St,  London  WC2R  3LD 




except  nuclear  which  is 
understandable. 

The  cassette  is  value  for 
money  and  comes  in  a  sturdy 
case  with  clear  instructions. 
My  review  copy  had  a  couple 
of  small  bugs  but  I  expect  these 
will  have  been  ironed  out  in  the 
finished  version.  SC 


Gold 

diggers' 

delight 

Adventure  Greedy  Gulch 
Micro  Spectrum  48K  Price 
£4.95  Format  Cassette 
Supplier  Phipps  Associates, 
99  East  Stt  Epsom,  Surrey. 
EVER   SINCE   The  Hobbit 
proved  that  it  could  be  done  on 
a  tape-based  system  companies 
have  been  producing  graphical 
adventure    games    in  ever- 
increasing  numbers. 

A  common  theme  is  to  set 
your  adventure  way  out  west, 
and  although  some  of  the 
results  resemble  more  the 
antics  of  Laurel  and  Hardy 
than  they  do  a  good  adventure, 
Greedy  Gulch  happily  falls  into 
the  latter  category. 


The  idea  of  the  game  is  to 
find  a  gold  nugget  buried  out 
deep  in  the  desert,  retrieve  it 
and  bring  it  back  to  town. 

This,  as  you  might  imagine, 
is  not  as  easy  as  it  sounds. 
Before  you  can  even  con- 
template going  across  the 
desert  you'll  have  to  find  a 
map,  find  the  word  that  the 
program  understands  before 
you  can  study  the  map,  and 
then  get  bored  to  death  while 
the  computer  insists  on 
drawing  the  same  picture  on 
the  screen  about  10  times. 

There  are  plenty  of  other 
hazards  to  overcome  in  town, 
and  while  it's  difficult  to 
describe  some  of  them  without 
giving  too  much  away,  you  will 
have  fun  trying  to  open  the 
safe,  read  the  hotel  register, 
and  get  some  water  from  the 
pump. 

As  the  game  progresses  the 
problems  begin  to  pile  in  on 
you,  and  if  you  ever  think 
you've  got  enough  material  to 
contemplate  crossing  the 
desert,  it's  a  wise  idea  to  take 
advantage  of  the  game's 
LOAD  and  SAVE  features 
before  attempting  to  go  any 
further. 

For  each  step  along  the  way, 
after  you've  reached  the  mine 
that  hides  the  precious  nugget, 
you'll  have  another  problem  to 
solve.  And  you  can  bet  your 
bottom  dollar  that  the  object 

needed  to  solve  the  problem 
has  been  left  behind  in  town. 

Since  the  desert  at  this  point 
is  strictly  one  way  (I  think), 
you'll  either  have  to  start  all 
over  again,  or  reload  a  pre- 
viously saved  game. 

The  graphics  presented  on 
the  screen  are  an  uneasy  mix  of 
pictures  of  some  of  the 
locations  and  maps  of  the 
town.  Although  the  maps  are 
drawn  with  commendable 
speed,  the  locations  take  much 
too  long  to  come  up,  and  the 


detail  shown  is  far  from 
staggering. 

The  cassette  inlay  card 
boasts  a  'machine  coded 
English  command  line  scan- 
ner', which  is  supposed  to 
speed  up  word  recognition.  It 
doesn't,  and  the  vocabulary 
appears  to  be  fairly  limited. 

One  final  gripe.  Don't  try  to 
speak  into  the  program  by 
pressing  the  caps  shift  and 
break  key,  since  all  you'll  get  is 
a  little  copyright  message  on 
the  screen  and  the  program 
stops.  The  only  solution  is  to 
disconnect  your  Spectrum  and 
start  again. 

This  is  not  up  to  the  extremely 

high  standards  set  by  The 
Hobbit,  but  for  just  £4.95 
you'll  get  your  money's  worth. 
PG 


Haunting 
treasure 


hunt 


Adventure  House  of  Death 
Micro  Oric  I,  48K  only  Price 
£9.99  Format  Cassette 
Supplier  Tansofl  Ltd,  3  Club 
Mews,  Market  Square,  Ely, 
Cambs. 

THIS  game  is  set  in  an  old 
house  that  was  once  used  to 
film  horror  movies,  but  which 
was  abandoned  after  real 
hauntings  took  place. 

The  aim  of  the  game  is  to 
find  five  treasures  and  exit  with 
your  life. 

Once  the  program  has  loacf- 
ed  a  piece  of  muted  music 
plays,  followed  by  a  hi-res 
drawing  of  the  exterior  of  the 
house.  After  this  its  back  to 
text  only,  accompanied  by  a 
time  display  on  the  top-left  of 
the  screen. 

There  are  occasional  sound 
effects  thrown  in,  but  some  are 
so  quiet  that  I  was  left 
wondering  why  they  took  the 
trouble     to     include  them. 

You  begin  at  the  front  door, 
which  has  a  bell  and  a  brass 
knocker. 

Strike  the  knocker  and  there 
is  a  ding-dong  sound.  Push  the 
bell  and  you  guessed  it  knock 
knock.  Maybe  it's  a  poltergeist 
playing  tricks. 

The  house  contains  ap- 
proximately 30  rooms  —  hard- 
ly the  vast  game  promised  by 
the  cassette  insert.  My  biggest 
complaint  however,  is  that 
finding  four  of  the  treasures 
required  little  ingenuity.  In  [> 


February  1984  Micro  Adventurer  23 


<]  fact,  I  completed  this  game 
in  just  under  eight  hours. 

The  program  is  written  in 
Basic,  so  the  responses  are 
slow.  And  life  is  made  easier 
for  cheats  since  neither  the 
CTRL  C  nor  the  RESET  func- 
tion are  disabled,  making  it 
very  easy  to  break  into  and  list 
the  program. 

Despite  these  faults  there  are 
some  fun  moments  in  this 
game,  and  had  it  been  priced 
around  a  fiver  I  would  have 
recommended  it  as  a  beginner's 
game.  As  it  stands  though,  at 
£9.99  this  game  is  over-priced. 
JM 


NT 


«■■■ 


^5 


ORIC  HOTSE  OF 

ADVENTURE  \ 


Graphics 
double 
the  fun 

Adventure  Twin  Kingdom 
Valley  Micro  BBC  B  Price 
£9.95  Format  Cassette 
Supplier  Bug-Byte,  Mulberry 
House,  Canning  Place, 
Liverpool. 

IT  SEEMED  inevitable  that, 
sooner  or  later,  a  graphic 
adventure  would  turn  up  for 
the  BBC  machine. 

The  graphics  are  the 
program's  main  selling 
marking  the  'dawn  of  a  new 
era  in  graphic  adventures', 
according  to  Bug-Byte  at  least. 

There  are  more  than  175 
pictures  in  Twin  Kingdom 
Valley,  drawn  on  the  Mode  2 
screen.  This  leaves  about  10K 
for  the  game  (and  all  the 
picture  information).  Even  so, 
this  is  a  perfectly  playable 
adventure. 

The  setting  for  the  action  is  a 
valley  ruled  by  two  kings  and 
inhabited  by  goblins,  elves  and 
other  standard  fantasy 
creatures.  You  have  a  number 


of  strength  points  to  start  with, 
which  tend  to  vanish  alarm- 
ingly quickly  once  the  game 
gets  going. 

There  are  assorted  items  of 
treasure  to  be  collected,  which 
add  to  your  score.  At  the  start 
there  is  a  list  to  choose  from 
regarding  the  format  and 
display  of  graphics.  You  can 
have  full  graphics,  no  graphics 
and  long  and  short  descriptions 
of  the  locations. 

A  full  list  of  the  program's 
vocabulary  is  given  both  in  the 
game  and  on  the  instruction 
sheet  supplied.  The  sheet  also 
gives  a  few  clues  and  a  general 
background. 

Five  command  words  are 
given  to  the  graphics.  The 
picture-making  capabilities  of 
the  computer  are  exploited 
excellently  in  most  drawings, 
which  appear  very  quickly  on- 
screen. 

Because,  however,  the  pro- 
gram uses  Mode  2,  any  picture 
must  vanish  for  text,  which  is  a 
great  shame  but  unavoidable. 
Objects  and  characters  are  not 
displayed  in  the  pictures. 

The  number  of  objects  you 
can  carry  is  small.  The 
intention  is  to  have  them  given 
to  the  other  characters  to  keep 


Warlock  casts  his  spell 


Adventure  The  Warlock  of 
Firetop  Mountain  Micro 
Spectrum  48K  Price  £6. 95 
Format  Cassette  Supplier 
Puffin  Books,  Penguin  Books 
Ltd,  Bath  Rd,  Harmondsworth, 
Middlesex. 

PENGUIN  Books  starts  with  a 
distinct  advantage  over  most 
software  companies:  ex- 
perience. 

This  is  evident  in  the 
excellent  packaging  of 
Warlock  of  Firetop  Mountain. 
It  comes  in  a  custom-designed 
package  including  the  best- 
selling  fighting-fancy  game 
book  which  inspired  it. 

The  game  loads  easily  and 
comprehensive  instructions  are 
displayed.  These  are  a  little  for- 
midable, since  it  takes  no  less 
than  19  keystrokes  to  control 
the  action.  When  you  think 
you  have  them  memorized  you 
can  proceed  to  the  animated 
adventure. 

Your  task  is  to  collect  15 
keys  with  which  to  unlock  the 
warlock's  treasure  chest,  and 
to  escape  alive.  To  do  this  you 
control  the  swift,  smooth 
actions  of  a  little  stick-man  as 
you  search  a  vast  maze,  which 


is  different  each  time  you 
play. Armed  with  a  sword  and  a 
bow  you  combat  the  spiders, 
warriors  "and  slime  monsters 
which  try  to  bar  your  way. 
Action  is  very  slick  and  well 
animated.  The  game  is  com- 
pulsive and  highly  enter- 
taining. 

It  is  also,  as  some  of  you 
may  have  noticed,  rather 
similar  to  the  popular  Halls  of 
the  Things.  Indeed  it  is  so 
similar  that  it  would  be  point- 
less buvine  both  games. 


The  great  advantage  of 
Warlock  is  that  you  get  the 
book  as  well.  It  bears  scant 
resemblance  to  the  game,  being 
a  kind  of  solo  Dungeons  and 
Dragons  type  of  adventure. 

You  play  it  using  pencil, 
paper  and  dice,  with  the  book 
providing  all  the  scenarios  and 
problems.  The  experience  is 
very  similar  to  playing  a 
traditional  text  adventure.  All 
in  all,  Warlock  of  Firetop 
Mountain  is  highly  recom- 
mended. DD 


The  dragon  from  Warlock  of  Firetop  Mountain 


FORTH!  32K 
BBC  MICRO 


temporarily.  To  get  back  you 
have  to  use  ASK  or  kill 
whoever  is  keeping  the  object. 
As  far  as  I  can  see,  they  either 
let  you  have  it  or  make  an 
attempt  to  kill  you  —  usually 
successfully. 

Once  you  meet  an  even 
mildly  belligerent  character, 
the  strength  points  begin  to 
disappear  as  he  and  you  battle, 
dungeons  and  dragons  style. 

One  feature  of  Twin  King- 
dom Valley  occurs  at  the  end 
of  every  game  and  is  really 
inexcusable.  After  you  die,  or 
Quit,  the  program  stops  and 
cannot  be  restarted.  This 
means  a  wait  of  five  minutes  to 
reload  the  program,  or,  since 
the  SAVE  and  LOAD  position 
commands  still  work,  a  LOAD 
of  position  at  the  start  of  the 
game.  But  the  omission  of 
'Another  game  (Y/N)'  is,  to 
me,  a  pointless  one. 

Twin  Kingdom  Valley  is  an 
involved  and  difficult  ad- 
venture. As  the  instructions 
say,  'You  are  beset  by  puzzles 
at  every  step',  which  means  it 
will  take  some  time  to  solve. 

The  excellent  graphics  add  to 
the  enjoyment,  which  is  only 
detracted  from  by  the  fact  that, 
to  stay  in  the  game,  you  must 
be  extra  careful.  This  ad- 
venture is  sure  to  become  a 
classic.  MW 


Aladdin's 
lamp 

goes  out 

Adventure  The  Stolen  Lamp 
Micro  BBC  32 K  Price  £6.95 
Format  Cassette  Supplier  MC 
Lothlorien,  56A  Park  Lane, 
Poynton,  Cheshire. 
THE  GRAND  Vizier  has  just 
stolen  the  Emperor's  favourite 


24  Micro  Adventurer  February  1984 


I 


r\  ni*i*cron_ 


lamp.  The  lamp  is  an  heirloom 
passed  down  through  the 
generations  since  the  days  of 
Aladdin. 

So  starts  the  adventure  of 
The  Stolen  Lamp  in  old 
Baghdad.  As  usual  it's  up  to 
you  find  and  return  the  lamp 
and  all  you  have  to  aid  you  is 
an  old  coin  and  a  hand  grenade; 

seems  like  a  friendly  object  to 
be  carrying  about.  Luckily  the 
pin  is  in,  but  I  suspect  you'll 
end  up  chucking  it  at  some 
poor  Vizier  before  the  night  is 
out,  or  perhaps  at  your  micro 
if  things  get  too  tough.' But 
problems  in  old  Baghdad  are 
not  what  they  used  to  be  and 
seasoned  adventurers  should 
not  have  to  burn  much 
midnight  oil  in  their  lamps  to 
solve  this  Arabian  tale. 

The  game  is  a  mixture  of 
Mode  7  text  and  Mode  5 
graphics,  which  of  course 
restricts  the  amount  of  store 
available  for  the  game. 

But  the  result  is  a  rather 
short  game  with  occasional 
locations  fairly  crudely  dis- 
played. 

The  game  has  SAVE  and 
RESTORE  commands  to  allow 
it  to  be  continued  at  a  later 
time.  Abbreviations  of  com- 
mands are  accepted  although 
this  can  lead  to  unfortunate 
accidents.    In    response  to 


Darkest 
Africa 

beckons 

Adventure  Jungle  Search 
Micro  Dragon  32  Price  £6.00 
Format  Cassette  Supplier 
Omega  Software,  38 
Hammond  Avenue,  Bacup, 
Lanes. 

YOU  ARE  the  sole  survivor  of 
a  plane  crash  in  darkest  Africa, 
and  the  task  before  you  is  to 
find  the  legendary  elephants' 
graveyard. 

Not  a  very  difficult  task  in 
this  case  as  you  are  already 
equipped  with  almost 
everything  you  might  need, 
and  given  a  list  of  the 
commands  available  for  you  to 
use  —  two  lists  actually,  one  on 
the  cassette  inlay  and  another 
in  the  program  itself  (and  no, 
they  aren't  the  same). 

This  adventure  is  written  in 
BASIC,  but  the  response  times 
are  quite  fast  as  there  are  so 
few  options  available  to  you.  It 
is  almost,  but  not  quite,  text 


my  command  "SMASH  PI" 
(smash  pickpocket)  this  was 
interpreted  as  SMASH  PIN, 
and  as  I  was  carrying  the  hand 
grenade  at  the  time  it  all  got 
very  messy. 

I  should  mention  that  the 
pickpocket  was  quite  happy  to 
steal  things  endlessly  from  me, 
even  when  I  didn't  have 
anything  to  steal.  Perhaps  they 
have  imported  a  few  Irish 
pickpockets  into  the  casbah.  A 
small  random  element  has  been 
injected  into  each  new  game 
which  changes  the  effect  of 
some  magic  words  already 
played.  The  game  has  no  new 
surprises. 

In  some  places  the  game  will 
inform  you  of  the  legal 
commands  it  will  accept,  which 
on  occasions  tend  to  give  you 
more  clues  than  you  need.  My 
initial  response  to  the  game 
was  favourable.  At  present 
there  are  few  BBC  adventures 
incorporating  graphics. 

However,  as  the  graphics  are 
crude  I  think  Teletext  graphics 
would  have  achieved  the  same 
effect,  thus  releasing  more 
store  in  which  a  larger  game 
could  have  been  produced. 

The  result  is  a  cheap  and 
cheerful  adventure  with 
nothing  new,  which  will  amuse 
but  not  strain  the  brain  cells 
too  much.  AM 


only.  There  is  one  small 
sequence  of  graphics,  but  you 
could  easily  overlook  it. 

There  are  various  hazards  on 
your  way,  or  rather  out  of  your 
way  in  most  cases.  I  discovered 
after  completing  a  map  of  the 
game  that  the  shortest  route  to 
the  graveyard  is  only  around  20 
moves  long. 

Some  of  the  hazards  are 
invariably  fatal,  some  are 
occasionally  fatal  and  the  rest 
are  mostly  very  easy  to 
overcome.  The  wild  animals 
generally  die  when  shot  or 
stabbed,  but  they  are  resur- 
rected if  you  are  unwise 
enough  to  retrace  your  steps. 

I  remember  from  my  school- 
days that  alpha  stood  for 
excellent,  beta  for  good.  .  .  . 
Omega  Software  would  seem, 
from  this  game,  to  be  quite 
appropriately  named. 

The  plot  is  uninspired,  the 
location  descriptions  brief  and 
repetitive,  the  puzzles  un- 
puzzling,  and  as  there  are  now 
so  many  good  adventures 
available  for  the  Dragon  this 
one  really  doesn't  deserve 
serious  consideration.  MN 


Trilogy  scores  on 
strategy  and  logic 


Adventures  Escape  from 
Arkaron,  Besieged,  Into  the 

Empire  Micro  Spectrum  16K 
or  48K  Format  Cassettes  Price 
£4.95  each  Supplier  Puffin 
Books,  Penguin  Books  Ltd, 
Bath  Rd,  Harmondsworth, 
Middlesex. 

THIS  trilogy  is  of  the  zap  and 
strategy  variety.  The  Korth 
Empire  is  invading;  can  you 
repel  it? 

The  programs  contain  one  or 
two    nice    touches,    such  as 

choice  of  your  control  keys  on 
the  zap  games  and  choice  of 
objective  on  the  strateev  same 
in  Escape  from  Arkaron. 

I  must  say  that  4shoot  'em 
up'  games  leave  me  somewhat 
colder  than  Skegness  on  a  wet 
Whit-Monday,  but  kids  seem 
to  like  them. 

But  where  the  Korth  Trilogy 
really  scores  is  its  strategy 
programs,  with  at  least  one  on 
each  tape.  I'm  a  great  fan  of 
strategy  games,  and  the  logic 
required  for  kids  has  got  to  be 
educational. 

The  raid  game  in  part  one 
lets  you  enter  your  moves  up  to 
six  turns  in  advance,  not  easy 
when  you  don't  know  what  the 
enemy  is  doing  to  do. 

I  particularly  enjoyed 
Empire,  the  final  program  of 
part  three,  which  is  easily  the 
best  version  I  have  seen  of  the 
Hamurabi  genre. 

The  idea  is  that  the  Empire 
computer  has  broken  down 
and  you  have  to  control 
production  of  three  essential 
commodities  on  30  individual 
planets.  Full  information  is 
available  on  all  30  planets  and 
overall  performance  is  updated 
in  bar  graph  form. 

I  would  say  that  Korth  is 
aimed  mainly  at  the  eight  to  14 
years  age  group,  although 
there  are  a  couple  of  programs 
I  shall  do  again. 

The  trilogy  is  presented  as  a 


-  - 


series  of  program  packs.  It  was 
released  by  Puffin  Books  for 
the  Spectrum,  which  easily  has 
the  biggest  market  for  young 
computer  addicts. 

I  ought  to  add  that  these 
packages  are  not  adventures. 
For  £4.95  you  get  a  50  page 
paperback  book  which,  as  you 
would  expect  from  Puffin,  is 
of  excellent  quality.  You  also 
get  a  cassette  (surprise, 
surprise),  which  contains  three 

programs,  and  both  these  items 
come  inside  a  nice  plastic 
display  wallet. 

The  idea  is  that  you  read  the 
book  and  then  play  the  three 
games  which  are  related  to  it. 

It  is  not  essential  to  buy  all 
three  packages,  or  even  to  buy 
them  in  order,  as  they  are  self- 
contained.  The  second  and 
third  books  give  a  brief  resume 
of  what  has  gone  before. 
Neither  is  it  essential  to  read 
the  book  before  doing  the 
game. 

By  no  stretch  of  my  vivid 
imagination  could  I  class 
myself  in  the  age  group 
at  which  Korth  is  aimed  so  my 
views  have  to  be  based 
accordingly. 

My  conclusions  are  that  you 
shouldn't  buy  Korth  if  you  are 
expecting  a  true  adventure  and, 
that  you  shouldn't  expect  the 
earth  for  £4.95.  However,  at 
this  price  they  do  represent 
good  value.  PM  □ 


BESIEGE 


February  1984  Micro  Adventurer  25 


A  NEW  WORLD  OF  ADVENTURE 

i 

BLACK  CRYSTAL  A'CRTP^ 


BLACK  CRYSTAL 

A  THIRD  CONTINENT  SERIES 
ADVENTURE 

The  Classic,  six  program  adventure 
game  for  the  48K  Spectrum  and  16K 
ZX81  computers  No  software  collection 
is  complete  without  it.  "Black  Crystal 
an  excellent  graphics  adventure  and  a 
well  thought  out  package  "  Sinclair 
User.  April  83  "Black  Crystal  has 
impressed  me  by  its  sheer  quantity  and 
generally  high  quality  of  presentation.  I 
am  afraid  I  have  become  an  addict.  " 
Home  Computing  Weekly  April  '83 
Spectrum  48K  180K  of  program  in  six 
parts  only  £7.50 

ZX81  16K  over  100K  of  program  in 
seven  parts  only  £7.50 
WHY  PAY  MORE  FOR  LESS  OF  AN 
ADVENTURE? 


THE  CRYPT  by  Stephen  Renton 

Prepare  yourself  for  the  many 
challenges  that  shall  confront  you  when 
you  dare  to  enter  THE  CRYPT.  You  will 
battle  with  giant  scorpions.  Hell  spawn, 
Craners.  Pos-  -  Negs  and  if  you  are 
unlucky  enough  —  the  Dark  Cyclops  in 
/       this  arcade  style  adventure. 

w  Available  for  the  48K  Spectrum  at 

£4.95 


ADVENTURES 


m 


I 


R FORCE  a 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF 
ST.  BERNARD 


A  classic  text  style 
adventure  in  the 
realms  of  fantasy 


An  exciting,  fast  moving,  machine  code, 
arcade  game  where  you  guide  your 
intrepid  St  Bernard  through  the  perils  of 
the  icy  wastelands  to  rescue  his  Mistress 
from  the  clutches  of  the  abominable 
snowman. 

Available  for  48K  Spectrum  £5.95 


VOLCANIC  DUNGEON 

A  THIRD  CONTINENT  SERIES 

ADVENTURE 

Enter  the  realm  of  Myth  and  Magic  in 
this  classic  Fantasy  Adventure.  Battle 
with  Magra  and  her  Evil  Allies  to  rescue 
the  Elfin  Princess  Imprisoned  in  a 
Crystal  Coffin  Deep  within  the  Volcanic 
Dungeon.  Random  Dungeon  set  ups 
ensure  that  you  can  play  this  addictive 
adventure  over  and  over  again.  Single- 
key  entry  cuts  out  tiresome  typing 
associated  with  other  Text  Adventures. 
Instruction  Manual  with  Map  of  Dungeon 
enclosed 

"The  whole  game  mechanism  makes  for 
a  very  Addictive  Program,  and  one  that 
remains  a  firm  favourite  with  many 
Adventurers." 

Popular  Computing  Weekly,  June  1983 

For  the  48K  Spectrum  or  ZX-81  16K 
@  £5.00 


STARFORCE  ONE 

Take  on  the  robot  guardians  of  the 
central  computer  in  a  superbly  stylised 
three  dimensional  battle  game. 
(100°/o  machine  code  arcade  action) 

Available  for  48K  Spectrum  £5.95 


THE  DEVIL  RIDES  IN 

I  uttered  the  last  incantations  as  the 
clock  struck  thirteen  All  fell  silent  except 
for  a  faint  rustling  in  the  corner.  From 
out  of  the  shadows  they  came,  all  Hells 
fury  against  me  but  I  was  not 
defenseless  until  the  Angel  of  Death, 
astride  a  winged  horse,  joined  the  battle 
Avoiding  his  bolts  of  hell  fire.  I  took 
careful  aim.  My  chances  were  slim,  but 

my  luck  held 

(Fast  moving,  machine  code,  all 
action,  Arcade  game) 

Available  for  48K  Spectrum  £5.95 


pgVil  Ripes  in 


The  above  are  available  through  most  good  computer  stores  or  direct  from: 

CARNELL  SOFTWARE  LTD., 

North  Weylands  Ind.  Est.,  Molesey  Road,  Hersham,  Surrey  KT12  3PL. 

DEALERS:  Contact  us  for  your  nearest  wholesaler. 


CARNELL  SOFTWARE  LTD 


Beat  Nelson  or 


Napoleon 


their 


own  war  games 

Ron  Stewart  studied  two  popular  war  games  and  offers 
tactical  advice  to  the  budding  general  or  admiral 


TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  ago  a  company 
called  Avalon  Hill  published,  in  the  United 
States,  the  first  board  wargame  called 
Tactics. 

Since  then  a  whole  industry  has 
developed  to  cater  for  the  budding  general 
admiral  or  squadron  leader.  The  games 
produced  today  are  as  far  removed  from 
Tactics  as  the  valve  is  from  the 
microprocessor.  Rulebooks  often  run  to 
more  than  30  pages  and  allow  for  most 
eventualities. 

Lone  players 

Wargaming  gives  you  the  chance  to  see  if 
you  would  have  made  a  better  general  than 
Napoleon  or  Rommel.  Perhaps  if  you  had 
been  captain  the  Bismark  would  not  have 
been  sunk  or  your  frigate  not  outgunned  by 
Nelson's  Victory.  The  choice  is  endless. 

Because  of  the  difficulty  of  finding 
people  prepared  to  sit  down  and  play  these 
simulations,  many  gamers  have  to  play 
solo,  trying  to  optimise  the  strategy  for 
both  sides.  This  system  is,  of  course,  open 
to  abuse.  When  the  computer  came  along- 
many  gamers  saw  their  chance  to  program 
the  computer  to  play  the  other  side. 

Early  computers  did  have  limitations  and 
this  idea  was  not  totally  successful.  In  the 
beginning  most  experienced  gamers  were 
able  to  beat  the  computer  with  ease.  Things 
have  now  changed  and,  with  the  advent  of 
more  powerful  computers,  the  pro- 
grammers are  catching  up  and  making  the 
computer  more  and  more  difficult  to  beat. 

One  of  the  most  prolific  companies  to 
produce  wargames  for  the  computer  is 
Strategic  Simulations  Incorporated  (SSI). 
Their  games  are  written,  in  the  main,  for 
the  Atari,  Apple  and  TRS80  computers.  I 
will  compare  one  of  their  offerings,  Battle 
for  Normandy,  a  game  simulating  the 
D-Day  landings,  with  a  new  release  on  the 
market  called  Operation  Whirlwind,  which 
is  published  by  Broderbund  for  the  Atari. 

Battle  for  Normandy  comes  in  a  flat 
bookshelf-sized  box.  In  the  program  disk  or 
cassette,  player  aid  cards  and  a  manual. 


The  first  lesson  in  wargame  strategy  is 
read  the  manual.  Don't  try  to  absorb  it  all 
in  one  reading.  Just  glance  over  all  the  rules 
and  gain  a  rough  idea  in  your  mind  of  what 
is  going  on. 

Load  the  game  into  the  computer,  set  it 
on  its  lowest  level  and  get  the  feel  of  moving 
and  firing  the  units  available  to  you.  It  will 
be  helpful  at  this  stage  to  look  at  the  forces 
at  your  command  and  get  to  know  their 
strengths  and  weaknesses.  This  also  applies 
to  the  enemy  forces.  Look  for  a  weak  point, 
it  may  be  useful  later. 

Now  go  back  and  reread  the  instructions 
fully.  In  a  game  such  as  Battle  for 
Normandy  you  will  have  to  take  into 
account  weather  and  logistics.  If  the 
weather  is  bad  you  will  not  get  supplies 
from  the  ports  across  the  channel,  neither 
will  your  forces  receive  air  support. 

The  manual  gives  you  a  percentage 
probability  chart  covering  the  period  of  the 
invasion.  Keep  this  in  mind  when  ordering 
supplies. 

Six  directions 

The  most  important  section  of  the  rules 
to  read  is  the  one  setting  out  your  victory 
conditions.  In  Battle  for  Normandy  you 
receive  victory  points  for  capturing  certain 
towns  and  pushing  the  German  forces 
indland. 

Identify  these  points  on  the  map.  When 
playing  the  game  keep  them  in  mind  all  the 
time.  If  you  grab  extra  points  here  and 
there  do  so,  it  might  make  all  the  difference 
later. 

Movement  of  both  forces  on  the  map  is 
controlled  by  hexagons.  This  means  that 
from  any  point  on  the  map  a  unit  can  move 
in  any  of  six  directions.  Each  unit  is 
allocated  movement  points.  While  a  unit 
will  only  expend  one  point  moving  through 
clear  terrain  it  will  use  up  four  crossing  a 
swamp  hex. 

Terrain  also  effects  the  way  a  unit  fights. 
Units  defending  in  the  thick  bocage 
hedgerows  that  proliferate  in  Normandy 
will  have  their  fighting  ability  doubled  while 


the  attackers  will  have  an  adverse  modifier 
slapped  on  them. 

Combat  in  Battle  for  Normandy  is  simply 
executed.  Battle  is  joined  when  opposite 
forces  come  into  contact  with  each  other. 
Every  unit  on  the  board  has  a  zone  of 
control.  When  a  unit  comes  into  contact 
with  one  of  these  zones  it  must  stop.  The 
concept  is  based  on  the  premise  that  when  a 
force  meets  another  it  will  be  fired  upon. 

These  zones  can  also  effect  movement.  It 
will  use  up  more  points  to  disengage  a  unit 
from  the  battle.  Each  unit  has  combat 
points.  When  battle  is  commenced  the 
computer  looks  at  all  the  units  taking  part 
and  totals  their  combat  points.  It  then 
reduces  them  to  a  ratio  and  modifies  it  for 
terrain. 

A  unit's  combat  effectiveness  can  be 
changed  if  it  has  not  received  any  supplies 
either  due  to  the  weather  or  its  distance 
from  a  supply  unit.  In  Battle  for  Normandy 
you  can  alter  the  ferociousness  of  the  attack 
from  armed  reconnaissance  to  our  all  out 
attack. 

Infantry  divisions 

If  all  this  seems  a  lot  to  keep  in  mind 
don't  worry.  After  playing  the  game  a 
couple  of  times  you  will  soon  get  the  hang 
of  it. 

In  Battle  for  Normandy  you  must 
capture  and  hold  the  towns  of  Cherbourg, 
Caen  and  St  Lo.  Historically  the  allies 
drove  east  across  the  Cherbourg  peninsula 
cutting  of  the  city  before  assaulting  it.  To 
do  this  in  Battle  for  Normandy  is  wasteful 
of  time  and  units.  The  optimum  strategy,  I 
have  found  is  to  send  a  couple  of  strong 
infantry  divisions  and  an  armoured  unit 
around  the  coast. 

The  coast  hexes  are  clear  terrain  and  will 
not  modify  the  German  defence  points  so 
you  will  be  able  to  move  faster  and 
eliminate  the  German  unit  quicker. 

In  every  game  I  have  played  so  far  the 
computer  has  only  sent  one  unit  north  to 
reinforce  the  three  units  defending 
Cherbourg.  Try  to  take  it  as  early  in  the 
game  as  possible.  It  gains  extra  points  and 
we  all  know  what  points  make  don't  we? 

As  well  as  capturing  Cherbourg  your 
forces  must  clear  the  Germans  out  of  the 
coastal  zone.  To  win  the  game  it  will  also  be 
necessary  to  capture  St.  Lo  or  at  least  part 
of  Caen. 

Other  basic  strategies  can  be  used  to 
assist  you  in  your  fight.  Get  the  four 
armoured  divisions  into  action  as  soon  as 
possible,  keeping  them  in  the  thick  of  the 
action  as  long  as  possible.  Don't  waste  time 
in  low-odds  attacks.  All  this  will  do  is 
deplete  your  units  out  quickly  making  them 
useless  in  the  latter  part  of  the  game. 

This  is  a  strategy  to  be  kept  in  mind  when 
playing  all  wargames.  Your  units  must  last 
the  complete  game  otherwise  the  enemy 


28  Micro  Adventurer  February  1984 


nmicron 

SXfYFTnh  FT 

might  be  tempted  to  counter-attack.  If  a 
unit  gets  low  on  strength  remove  it  from  the 
front  line  and  allow  it  to  build  up  again. 

Battle  for  Normandy  is  one  of  the  best 
wargames  for  beginners  to  cut  their  teeth 
on.  It  includes  most  of  the  features  that  are 
found  on  board  wargames.  The  graphics 
are  good  and  it  will  take  a  lot  of  time  to  find 
the  optimum  strategy.  The  variables,  such 
as  weather,  make  each  game  different  and 
unpredictable. 

Superior  weapons 

Operation  Whirlwind  is  newly  released 
from  Broderbund  for  Atari's  48K.  This 
game  is  of  a  more  general  nature.  In  fact  it 
is  as  different  from  Battle  for  Normandy  as 
chalk  is  from  cheese. 

The  map  board  is  once  again  displayed 
on  the  screen  and  scrolls  very  smoothly, 
with  roads,  streams  and  woods  shown 
clearly.  The  forces  involved  are  not  named 
and  neither  is  the  time  period.  You  could  be 
fighting  the  Russians  in  Stalingrad  or  the 
allies  in  the  Ardennes. 

Your  object  is  to  capture  and  hold  a  town 
against  numerically  larger  forces.  Your 
forces  are  equipped  with  superior  weapons 
and  firepower.  The  game  can  be  split  into 
two  separate  parts.  The  first  is  the  rush  to 
capture  the  town.  The  second  is  to  set  up 
defences  for  the  counter-attack  that  is  sure 
to  follow. 

Your  forces  consist  of  heavy  and  medium 
armour,  infantry,  artillery  and  engineers 
for  building  bridges.  Each  type  of  unit  is 
identified  by  a  different  motif.  Movement  is 
regulated  by  squares  and  not  hexes  and  the 
combat  system  has  been  simplified.  Once 
again  terrain  affects  the  units'  movement 
range  but  when  you  are  getting  near  the 
limit  the  control  cursor  turns  purple.  If  you 
proceed  any  further,  the  unit  in  question 
might  not  be  able  to  fire  in  the  combat- 
phase. 

This  game  is  so  freewheeling  that  it  is 
difficult  to  define  any  hard  and  fast 
strategy.  Your  main  objective  must  be  to 
take  the  town  before  round  10  of  the  35  that 
make  up  the  game.  This  is  quite  easy  when 
you  are  playing  on  the  easy  levels.  On  the 
harder  ones  it  becomes  an  exciting  race 
against  time. 

Unwary  enemy 

Once  installed  in  the  town  you  will  have 
to  form  a  defensive  wall.  It  is  here  that  you 
must  take  into  account  the  range  of  the 
units.  I  have  found  it  easier  to  place  the 
heavy  long-range  tanks  just  on  the  outskirts 
of  town  with  a  clear  field  of  fire. 

The  infantry  I  place  three  squares  apart. 
Two  squares  is  the  infantry  range.  This 
means  that  anything  coming  into  range  can 
be  shot  at  by  two  units.  When  forming  a 
defence  such  as  this,  always  place  units 


Part  of  the  batik  map  for  Operation  Whirlwind  with  markers  depicting  points  of  strategic 
importance 


behind  the  front  line  in  a  chequer-board 
pattern.  Second  line  units  can  plug  any 
holes  that  form  or  fire  at  an  unwary 
opponent  who  strays  too  close. 

Overall,  Operation  Whirlwind  is  a 
wargame  suited  for  the  novice  and  ex- 
perienced wargamer.  It  is  easy  to  under- 
stand and  you  can  start  to  play  the  game 
quickly.  The  rules  booklet  is  one  of  the  best 
I  have  seen  and  must  count  now  as  an 


industry  standard.  Not  only  is  it  easy  to 
read  but  there  are  no  less  than  eight  pages 
of  hints  and  tips  on  the  strategy  to  use. 

Elusive  clues 

If,  like  me,  you  get  fed  up  zapping  aliens 
or  chasing  elusive  clues  around  a  computer 
adventure,  try  a  wargame  and  get  the  old 
grey  matter  working  in  a  different  dir- 
ection. 


February  1984  Micro  Adventurer  29 


novevou  B€€n  invoLV€D  in  o 

mVST€RIOUS 


n 


Turning  fantasy  into  code 


ADVENTURE  PROGRAMS  are  a  special 
form  of  database  program.  This  is  why  it  is 
quite  easy  to  develop  generators,  which, 
given  a  description  of  an  adventure,  will 
produce  a  working  program. 

Normally  adventure  programs  have  two 
main  tasks:  interpreting  the  commands 
typed  in  by  the  user  and  moving  the  user 
around  the  map. 

Simple  operations 

The  detailed  description  of  how  this  is 
achieved  is  beyond  the  scope  of  this  article 
but  a  brief  description  is  given  as  follows:  at 
the  simplest  level  a  command  from  a  user 
consists  of  two  parts  the  verb  (VP)  and  the 
noun  (NP).  For  example  a  typical  phrase  in 
adventure  games  is:  GET  KNIFE.  The 
adventure  program  would  split  this  into  two 
parts:  GET  (VP)  KNIFE  (NP) 

The  system  would  then  find  the  verb  part 
in  a  list  of  verbs  and  GOSUB  to  a 


After  planning  an  adventure 
game  you  must  convert  it 
into  a  computer  program, 
and  Andrew  Pepper 
explains  how 

subroutine  which  obeys  it.  In  our  example 
there  would  be  a  subroutine  which  obeys 
the  "GET"  command.  It  would  check  the 
noun  part  "KNIFE"  to  make  sure  you  were 
not  already  carrying  it,  check  that  it  was  in 
the  room,  check  that  you  could  carry  it  and, 
finally,  get  it,  add  it  to  your  list  of  objects 
and  remove  it  from  the  room. 

I  know  this  sounds  complicated  but,  in 
fact,  it  is  a  series  of  simple  operations  (like 
most  computer  programs)  and  providing 
you  keep  your  head  when  writing  the  code  it 
is  quite  simple  to  write.  But  my  main 
concern  is  with  the  development  of  the 
database. 


100 

no 
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400 


REM  **********#*#*****#*****###*###***#*#*##****#*♦##*## 

REM  ***  Deio  PrwaiB  1  -  The  Ice  Planet 
REM 

PRINT        Oeio  1  ***" 
REM  ***  Start  uo  in  room  i, 
r  =  1 
RESTORE 

FOR  i  =  1  TO  r 

READ  n*.  d*.  r* 

NEXT  i 

PRINT 

PRINT  n$ 

PRINT 

PRINT  d$ 

PRINT 

D$  =  "!l 

PRINT  "Enter  direction  (N.  E.  S.  W)": 
INPUT  a$ 

IF  a$  =  "N"  THEN  o*  =  MD$ir*.1.21 
"EH  THEN  o*  =  MID$(r$.3.2) 
BSH  THEN  d*  =  MIDI(r$.5.2) 
nW"  THEN  o$  =  MID*(r$.7.2) 
"  THEN  220 
■-"  THEN  330 
PRINT  "Can't  ao  that  wav  froi  here" 
GOTO  220 

r  =  VAL(o$) 
GOTO  150 

DATA  Transoorter  Rooi.You  are  in  orbit  around  an  iced  covered  olanet,— 02— 


IF  a$  = 
IF  a*  = 
IF  a*  = 
IF  o$  = 
IFo$  <> 


410  DATA  Planet  Surface. You  are  on  an  icy  plain  hi th  a  blizzard  blowing. — 030401 

420  DATA  Frozen  lake. You  are  bv  the  edoe  of  a  frozen  lake.  A  sian  savs  thin  ice. 
--04--02 

430  DATA  Cave  entrance. The  cave  is  dark  and  forboding. 020506— 

435  DATA  Inside  cave. There  is  a  little  light  froi  the  entrance.  0604 

440  DATA  Back  of  cave. You  are  at  the  rear  of  the  cave. 0507  

450  DATA  Top  of  ice  mountain. You  are  on  the  oeak  of  an  icv  (fountain.-- 01— 06 


How  the  database  is  organised  is 
something  you  have  to  think  carefully 
about.  For  each  room  the  following  is 
required:  the  name  of  the  room,  a 
description  of  the  room,  the  routes  to  other 
rooms.  There  may  be  more  information 
that  you  wish  to  store,  a  short  and  long 
description  for  example,  but  we  will  try  to 
keep  it  simple. 

One  way  you  could  organize  the  data  is  to 
have  three  string  arrays  to  hold  the  three 
types  of  information,  say  N$  for  the  name, 
D$  for  the  description  and  R$  for  the 
routes.  This  allows  you  to  display  the  name 
of  room  10  by  typing:  PRINT  N$(10).  The 
description  is  produced  by  typing:  PRINT 
D$(10). 

Alternatives 

You  could  have  the  contents  of  the  three 
arrays  held  in  data  statements  in  the 
program.  When  the  program  was  RUN  the 
data  would  be  READ  into  the  arrays.  But 
this  is  inefficient.  The  data,  in  effect,  is 
stored  twice,  once  in  the  source  code  of  the 
program  and  again  in  the  array.  It  is  far 
more  efficient  to  store  the  data  on  cassette 
and  load  the  program  in  two  halves,  one 
part  loads  the  main  processing  part  of  the 
program.  When  this  program  is  run  it  loads 
the  second  half  of  the  program  into  the 
arrays.  If  your  machine  can  arrange  for 
programs  to  be  LOADed  and  RUN  in  one 
go,  this  could  be  done  without  the  user 
knowing.  See  figure  1  for  a  diagram 
showing  this. 

An  alternative  method  of  storing  the 
database  is  as  a  series  of  DATA  statements. 
To  read  in  the  data  for  a  particular  room 
the  program  starts  at  the  first  DATA 
statement  and  reads  through  all  of  them 
until  it  reaches  the  room  required.  This  is 
slower  than  storing  the  information  in  an 
array  but  makes  development  easier  as  the 
adventure  is  now  one  file  rather  than  two. 

Four  paths 

This  second  technique  will  be  used  for 
our  program  examples.  It  is  less  machine 
dependent,  (the  listings  with  this  article  are 
written  in  ANSI  standard  Basic,  as  used  on 
the  NewBrain).  Designing  a  database  is 
really  about  rules  what  form  the  database 
must  take.  For  example,  if  the  rule  is  made 
that  there  can  be  a  maximum  of  four  paths 
leading  from  one  room  (going  north,  east, 
south  or  west)  then  this  information  could 
be  held  for  each  room  as  a  string  showing 
the  room  number  to  which  a  particular 
route  will  take  us.  Suppose  we  are  currently 
in  room  10,  the  route  string  might  look  like 
this:  "11  —  0912"  The  system  decodes  this 
into  the  following  form:  if  you  go  north 
then  you  enter  room  11.  You  cannot  go 
east.  If  you  go  south  then  you  enter  room 
nine.  If  you  go  west  then  you  enter  room  12. 

With  this  in  mind  look  at  the  simple 
adventure  in  program  1.  It  prints  up  a 
description  of  each  location  and  asks  for  a 
direction.  It  takes  the  direction  you  enter 


February  1984  Micro  Adventurer  31 


i 00  REM  t*#*t*»**  +  *t*t******#*»** ************** 

110  REM  Deao  oroaraa  2.  Data  deconoression 

120  REM 

130  PRINT  "#«  Deao  2 

140  DIM  c$(10) 


150  c$(0) 
152  c$(i) 
154  c*(2) 
156  ct(3) 
158  c$(4) 
160  c*(5) 
162  c*(6) 


"You  are  in" 

"the  air  is" 

"It  is  dark" 

"saall" 

"laroe" 

Vooi" 

"corridor" 


240  REM 

250  REM  ****  take  in  D$  and  disolav.  decoioressino  as  we  ao. 
260  REM 

263  PRINT  . 

265  PRINT  "Enter  strino  to  decoapress": 
270  LINPUT  d* 
280  FOR  i  =  1  TO  LENidl) 
290  IF  HIDKdl.i.l)  <>  "\" 
300  c$  =  MID$(d*.i+l.l) 
310  c  =  VAL(cl) 
320  PRINT  c$(c): 
330  i  =  i  +  1 
400  NEXT  i 
410  60T0  260 


THEN  PRINT  MID$(d$.i .1):  :  GOTO  400 


and  displays  the  new  room  you  are  in. 

This  is  the  type  of  low  level  program  I 
used  when  developing  a  database.  It  lets  me 
check  that  the  routes  make  sense  and  gives 
me  some  idea  of  what  the  program  will  be 
like  to  use. 

One  hint  when  developing  this  program  if 
you  start  the  DATA  statements  on  a 
conveniently  numbered  line-number  (say 
1001)  then  it  will  be  easy  to  find  the  data 
statement  for  a  particular  room.  Room 
one's  data  is  on  line  1001,  room  two's  on 
1002  and  so  on. 

If  you  look  at  the  descriptions  of  rooms 
in  the  example  program  you  will  notice  that 
the  same  phrases  crop  up  several  times.  It  is 
possible  to  make  use  of  this  fact  to 
compress  the  data.  Commonly  occuring 
phrases  are  not  typed  into  the  data  base 
over  and  over  again.  They  are  stored  in  a 
separate  array.  If  we  are  using  C$()  to  hold 
the  phrases  then  we  could  set  up  the  array 
like  this: 

C$(0)  =  "Your  are" 
C$(l)  =  "the  air  is" 
C$(2)  =  "It  is  dark" 
and  so  on. 

We  now  have  to  arrange  that  these 
phrases  can  simply  be  inserted  into  the 
descriptions  before  printing.  A  simple  way 
is  to  use  a  special  character  as  an  escape 
character,  which  would  be  treated  specially 
by  the  system.  Suppose  we  choose  the 
backslash  character  "/". 

The  string:  "/0  in  a  small  room.  /2  and 
/l  damp."  should  expand  to:  You  are  in  a 
small  room.  It  is  dark  and  the  air  is  damp. 

This  gives  a  saving  of  about  30%  over  the 


original .  The  code  that  converts  the  form  is 
very  simple  and  is  shown  in  program  2. 
When  this  program  is  run  you  will  be  asked 
for  a  string  to  decompress.  Try  entering  the 
following:  Enter  string  to  decompress?  /0  a 
/3  /5.  /2  and  /l  cold.  The  system  will 
produce:  You  are  in  a  small  room.  It  is  dark 
and  the  air  is  cold. 

This  gives  a  better  than  two-to-one 
compression. 

If  your  machine  has  an  INSTR 
instruction  then  it  is  possible  to  speed  up 
the  search  for  the  escape  character.  One 
obvious  point.  This  program  assumes  that 
the  character  following  the  backslash  is  a 
number.  If  you  feed  it  with  a  string  which 
has  a  backslash  without  a  number  after  it 
then  it  will  produce  a  BASIC  error. 

Planning 

If  you  want  more  than  10  built-in  phrases 
(/0  to  /9)  then  you  could  use  the  letters  (/A 
to  /Z).  Line  310  in  the  program  will  have  to 
be  changed  to  read:  310  c  =  ASC(c$)  —  65 
This  converts  a  letter  between  A  and  Z  to  a 
number  between  0  and  25. 

There  are  some  improvements  that  could 
be  made  to  the  example  programs.  The 
description  should  be  split  into  30-40 
character  chunks  before  being  printed,  and 
the  coding  could  be  performed  in  a  more 
compact  form.  But  the  programs  were 
designed  as  examples  of  the  techniques 
used. 

Remember  to  plan  ahead  when  writing 
any  program.  Decide  what  the  program 
should  do  before  writing  it.  That  way  you 
can  tell  if  it  is  working  or  not.  From  the 


LOAD 
Main  Prograa. 


Progru  Starts 
RUNning. 


Data  it  load ad 
into  array. 





examples  I  have  given  try  building  up 
towards  a  full  adventure.  Hopefully,  it  will 
seem  easy,  several  simple  elements  linked 
together. 

There  are  refinements  you  could  add.  In 
role  playing  games  players  are  given 
random  characteristics:  LUCK, 
STRENGTH,  COMBAT  and  HEALTH 
for  example.  These  could  be  used  in  an 
adventure  game  to  decide  whether  a 
particular  task  is  possible  or  not.  This  adds 
a  random  factor  to  the  game  that  should 
make  it  interesting  to  play  even  when  the 
game  is  completely  mapped  out. 

Remember  that  an  adventure  can  be  any 
dream  you  want  to  have,  writing  the  game 
can  be  an  adventure  in  itself.  The  user  is 
only  a  puppet  controlled  by  the  program. 
You  are  playing  God  and  defining  a  whole 
universe. 

To  obtain  a  copy  of  the  first  part  of  this 
article,  How  to  write  your  own  adventure, 
send  a  stamped  addressed  envelope  to, 
Micro  Adventurer,  12-13  Little  Newport  St, 
London  WC2R  3LD.D 


32  Micro  Adventurer  February  1984 


I  Doric  Computer  Services 


Present 


AN  AMAZING  NEW 
ADVENTURE  GAME 
WITH  ANIMATED  f 
GRAPHICS 
FEATURING:- 

•  A  completely  new  cave  layout, 
monster  position  and  event 
sequence  generated  lor  every 
game. 

A  time  limit  01  5  'days*  on 
every  adventure. 

•  Continuously  displayed  high 
resolution  graphics  and  text. 

•  All  monsters,  articles  and 
locations  depicted  to  a  level  of 
detail  that  pushes  SPECTRUM 
graphics  to  the  limit. 


"The  closest  yet  to  a  true 
animated  graphic  adventure... 
...excellent  value  tor  money." 
POPULAR  COMPUTING  WEEKLY. 


FOR  THE 

48K  SPECTRUM 


imicro 


/Am 


Programs  from  readers  this 
month  include  the  second  part 
of  Castaway,  a  game  for  the  ZX 
Spectrum  by  Keith  Parrock. 
After  a  shipwreck  you  find 
yourself  on  a  tropical  island. 
While  wandering  around 
looking  for  materials  that  could 
be  used  to  repair  your  boat  you 
stumble  across  an  Inca  temple 
and  other  indications  that  the 

island  might  be  inhabited. 
Roger  Thomas  in  Sussex  has 
written  a  program  that  provides 

LEFTS,  RIGHTS  and  MID$ 
equivalents  for  the  Spectrum. 


Send  us  your  adventure  listings 
—  modules  which  readers  can 

incorporate  into  their  own 
games,  short  adventures  and 
useful  programming  routines 
are  all  welcome.  Please  send 
us  a  printout  and  cassette 
along  with  a  general 
description  of  the  program  and 
details  of  how  it  is  constructed 
and  can  be  used.  If  you  want 

us  to  return  your  program, 
enclose  a  stamped,  addressed 

envelope.  If  you  have  any 
queries  on  the  listings,  write  to 
the  appropriate  author,  Your 
Adventures,  Micro  Adventurer, 
12-13  Little  Newport  St,  London 

WC2R  3LD 


Survival  in  the 
South  Pacific 


A  ZX  Spectrum  game  from  Keith  Parrock  in 
Middlesex 


IN  THE  second  part  of  Castaway  you  begin 
to  explore  the  island  on  which  your  boat 
has  been  shipwrecked.  While  looking  for 


some  life  necessities  you  find  an  Incan 
temple. 

If  you  would  like  a  copy  of  the  first  part 
of  Castaway  send  a  stamped  address 
envelope  to  Castaway,  12-13  Little  Newport 
St,  London  WC2R  3LD. 


8052 

"battery " 

3053 

DfiTR 

"  lizard" 

5054 

DRTR 

"spear " 

S055 

DRTR 

"P  t  e  ranodon  ** 

8056 

DRTm 

"i»ai  rsai  i  " 

8057 
S50D 
3501 

DRTfi 
REM 

DRTR 

"crow  ba  r " 
■  I  ■  HH  — 

3502 

DRTR 

2  .  Z  f  Z 

3503 

DhTR 

10  ,z,z 

3504- 

DRTR 

Z  jZ  ,z 

3505 

DRTR 

10 . z  .  s 

3506 

DRTR 

10^2.2 

3507 

DRTR 

Z  j  Z  j  2 

OD08 

Dm  i  R 

10 , Z , 10 

3509 

DRTR 

10,2,2 

55 10 

DRTR 

-1,57,2 

3311 

DRTR 

-1  ,  14.0  .  2 

3512 

DRTR 

-1 . 200 . 2 

S513 

DRTR 

-1 , 200, 2 

3514- 

DRTR 

10,2, 2 

3515 

DfiTR 

3513 

DRTR 

^          ^    ?  ^ 

5517 

DRTR 

2,2,2 

5518 

DRTR 

2,2,2 

Zi  =  t. 

DRTR 

10,2 

,  3 

3513 

DRTR 

2  ,  Z  ,  f  3  -CS 

3534 

DRTR 

10  ,  2 

,  2 

3520 

DRTR 

Z  ,  Z  ,  f  3  -  CS 

3333 

DRTR 

-1 , 150 , 2 

DRTR 

z  ,  z  ,  fa  -cs 

3536 

DRTR 

2,2, 

f  a  -cs 

3522 

DRTR 

2  .2,  f a -cs 

3537 

DRTR 

10,  2 

2 

3523 

DRTR 

2,2,  f  3  -  CS 

3533 

DRTR 

2  ,  65 

2 

3524 

DRTR 

2  ,  4-5  ,  2 

3533 

DRTR 

2,2, 

F  a  -cs 

3525 

DRTR 

-1 . 115,1 

354-0 

DRTR 

10  ,  2 

,  6 

3526 

DRTR 

-1 , 1S5 , 2 

354-1 

DRTR 

10  .  2 

,  2 

3  527 

DRTR 

2  ,  4-  9  ,  2 

3542 

DRTR 

10  .  2 

3323 

DhTR 

10,2 , 11 

SS4.3 

DRTR 

10,  2 

',  2 

3523 

DRTR 

-1 , 130 , 2 

3544 

DRTR 

10,2 

,  2 

3330 

DRTR 

2 , 50 , 2 

3545 

DRTR 

10  .  2 

3531 

DRTR 

10 . 60, 5 

3546 

DRTR 

2,2, 

f  a  -  cs 

3532 

DRTR 

10 ,2,7 

S547 

■ 

DRTR 

2,2, 

fa-cs 

An  option  for  string  slicing 

LEFTS,  RIGHTS  and  MIDS  equivalents  for  the  Spectrum,  from  Roger  Thomas  in  Sussex. 

ALTHOUGH  THE  Spectrum's  system  of  Fortunately  this  listing  solves  the 
string  slicing  is  very  neat  and  logical  it  is  problem  by  giving  you  equivalents  for 
quite  different  from  the  usual  format.  LEFTS  RIGHTS  and  MIDS. 


1  DEF  FN  S = ( ffl<=LEN 
(A>1_EN   R$y  *LEN  r$:> 


=H$  I    T O    F N  f 


I     1  V 


R  $  i ;  ~  * ...  j-i  >  { i_   N  ft  4s  -  F 

N  S  fj?$.,AJ  *1  TO  LtN  H$*l.R<=LEN  fl$ 
i  1 


4-   DEF   FN   M*  f         H,  B\  ss  f "  >; 
FN   S  f       ^  Rj  j  ■+-  iUEN         <  >  3.3  +  {«  =s®3  TO 
fFN    o  <  =LEN   Rj$}  *  { F.N    3  IF 

LET   N*  =  " 

FN 
FN 
FN 


IS 

H0 


PRINT 
PRZNT 
STOP 


.HIE>$RieHT$" 

fN*,  Si 
fN*,  &  y  4-  j 


34  Micro  Adventurer  February  1984 


r~\ 


nmicroi 


354-3 
3549 


DfiTfi  10,2  ,2 
DfiTfi  10,2  ,2 
DRTfi  lB^Z.Z 
DfiTfi  10,2,2 
DfiTfi  10 , Z , 15 
-1, 165, Z 
80,  Z 


DfiTfi 
DfiTfi 


8557 


DfiTfi  -i,67,Z 
DfiTfi  10,Z,14. 
DfiTfi  Z,Z,  Z 


9000  REM 


9001  DfiTfi  "amid  the  totalwreckag 
e  of  your  boat  which  has  been  wa 
shed  ashore.  The  beach  £cr*  SI 
retches  north  and  south.  Ahead  t 
here   is   a  p  I  a  t  eau  .  .  .  "  ,  2 ,  10 ,  z  ,  z  ..  l 

J5^  Jj£ 

9002  DfiTfi  "some  distance  from  th 
e   wreckage.   fi  small   groupof  palm 

trees  lies  to  the  east.  To  the^ 
west    lies    a   small  cove...",z,l,w 

9003 ' DfiTfi  "among  a  group  of  palm 
trees   swaying    in   what  breeze 

there  is.  Coconuts  hang  down  by 
the   hundreds...", 4., z,z, 2, z,z,z 

3004-    DfiTfi  e$,5,3,6,7,I,Z,I 

9005  DfiTfi  "at   a  small  cove.  T 

here    are    signs    of    life        here,  w 
ith    the   presence    of    marKsin  the 
sand    in    the   shape   of  fooiprz 
nts.  .  .  ",z,4-,2,z,z,z,z 
9005   DfiTfi   e  $  ,  z  ,  4- ,  8  ,  z  ,  z  ,  z  ,  z 
9007    DfiTfi  e*,4-,9,Z,8,Z,Z,Z 
3008   DfiTfi    e*, 6, 72, 7, Z fZ    Z fZ 

9009  DfiTfi  e*,7,Z,Z,Z,Z,Z,Z 

9010  DfiTfi  "overlooking  a  reef  of 
f  the  shore.  The  ♦a  tar  isso  Clea 
r  that  the  bottom  of  the  ocean  i 
s    visible. . . " , 1 , 11 , z , Z , Z , Z , z 

9011  DfiTfi  "standing  atongthe  sho 
re.  Facing  you  the  surf  rolls  i 
n  constantly.  Tropical  birds  f 
l  y  overhead.  .  .  "  ,  10 ,  4- 1 ..  12 ,  z   z   z  ,  z 

3012   DfiTfi    e$,Z  ,  14-,  13  .,  11,  Z  ,Z  ,Z 
9013   DfiTfi    "outside    a    tiny  bam  boo 
hut.    There    is    a   door   madeof  cane 
facing   you.  .  .  "  ,  57  ,  z  ,  z  ,  1 2  .,  z  ,  z  ,  z 

3014    DfiTfi  £$,2,2,2,12,2,2,2 

9015  DfiTfi   "standing   atop  a  plate 

a  u  .    Below    your    wreckage  is  clea 

riy   visible.    From    this  vantage 

point    the    ocean    files  the  vie 

w    to    the    horizon.   Tiny  round  m 

arks    can    be    seen    in    the  sand... 

"  ,2,17,16,2,2,1,1 

3018  DfiTfi   "on    the   other     side  of 
the  plateau.   The    beach      is   no  i 

o  n  g  e  r    in   sight.  .  . " , z , IS , z , z , 15 , z 

7  Z 

9017  DfiTfi  "siowiy  sink ins in to  dr 
U  sand-  inch  by  inch  you  are  be  a 
ng    buried   alive    by    the  sliding 

sand...",z,z,z,z,z..  z,z   

9018  DfiTfi   "at    the    edge   ofa  dense 
Jungle.   The  sunlight   is  only 

st  visible  through  the  thick  g 
rowth   of    vegetation. . .",16,2,19, 

■2"     2T    -Z  2T 

3019  DfiTfi  p $ , 20, 26 , 24 , IS, Z , Z  Z 

3020  DfiTfi  p$,21,  19,23,2  ,Z ,Z,Z 

302 1  DfiTfi  P  * , z , Z , 22 , 20 , Z , Z , Z 

3022  DfiTfi  p$, Z , 21,53, 23, Z ,Z , Z 

3023  DfiTfi  p  $ , 20 , Z , 22 ,24,2,2,2 

3024  DfiTfi  p$,19,23,Z, 


302S   DfiTfi   "outside  an 


inca  te 


isple.  By  chance  you  have  found  » 
t,    hidden   deep    in    the  jungle. 

It's   walls    are   made   of      white  s 
tone,    sloping    towards  thesky..." 
Z,  Z,Z,  2,24.,  27,  Z 

Q026  DfiTfi   "at   a   clearing   in  the 
jungle,    fi  huge    tree    f a cesyou,    i t 
s    leaves   reaching    to    the  g»ound. 

Its    top    is  out   of   sight    far   a bo 
ve  .  .  .  "  ,  19, z  ,z  ,z  ,z  ,  z  ,  z 
9027  DfiTfi  "inside    the  temple. 

Torches  burn  from  wait  bracket 
s  to  provide  light  to  seeby.  sev 
erai   piles   of   various  weapons 

are   scattered   over    the  granite 

floor.   From    the   east   endcold  ai 


%  t 


,z,z. 


,  z 


r   roeets   your  face.. 
*">   z  16 

9023  DfiTfi  "in  a  narrow  corrida 
r.  sloping  downwards.  Theiight  i 
s  failing  here,  making  ..each  st 
ep    slow   and   ponde  r o  us...  ,z,z,z, 

SS^I'Dfiffi  k$,Z,Z,31,33,Z,30,Z 

9030  DfiTfi    k*, Z,Z,Z,Z, 29, X,Z 

9031  DfiTfi    k*,29,38,Z , 32, 3*, Z ,  Z 

9032  DfiTfi  "in  an  inner  chamber 
,  deep  inside  the  temple. There  x 
s   a  sign   upon    the    temple  wall... 

" , 105 , 10S , 31 , 105 , 105 , 105 , 2 

9033  DfiTfi    k$,Z ,37,29,z ,Z ,Z,Z 
9034.   DfiTfi    k Z,Z, 2,39,^5, 31, Z 
9035  DfiTfi   "in    the    centre   of  what 

must   once  have  been   the   Inca  s 
sacrifice    chamber,  one 
block   of   white   granite  **a"2s^ 
before   you.  .  .  "  ,  z  ,  4.0 ,  37 ,  z  ,  36 ,  34- ,  z 
3036  DfiTfi   "at    a    clearing    in  the 
jungle.    Several    trees   areiying  a 
round,    chopped    down   very  recenti 

u . . .",23,2,95,2,2,2,2 
9037    DfiTfi  K*,Z,35,33,Z,Z,Z,Z 
fi038  DfiTfi   "in   a   side    roomo  f  f  the 
main    chambers.  There   is   a  stron 
g  smell   of   dead  meat   and  a  pile 
of   droppings    reaching  up    the   wa «, 
i    in    the    far   corner...", 31, z,z,z 

9039'DfiTfi   "sinking    in   a     sea   o  f 
sand.    Unless   you  have  with  yo 

u   something    to    clear    the   sand  1. 

would   seem   only    a   matter of  time 
.  .  .  "  ,  2  ,  z  ,  z  ,  z  ,  6 1 ,  z  ,  z 
904-0  DfiTfi   "sinking    m   a  sef,_0' 
sand,    unless   you   have  with 
u   something    to    clear    the   sand  it 

would   seem   only   a   matter of  tame 

,  ,  .'■  ,Z  2,2,2,61,2,2 

304-1   DfiTfi   "by   a    targe  cS*f  "  ~ 

urf  laps  against  the  rockedge,  a 
nd  there  is  an  engraving  cut  1  n  t 
o  the  rock. . .",11, 62, 42, 2,2, z,z 
904-2  DfiTfi  "at  the  opemngto  the 
caves.  Uater  flows  down  into  th 
e  entrance,  which  is  -^twade  %n 
ough    to   en  t  e  r  .  .  .  "  ,  2  ,  2  ,  43  ,  41 ,  z  ,  z 


3043  DfiTfi    C*,Z  ,  42,  4-4,  54-,  z  ,Z  ,Z 

3044  DfiTfi    c*  ,  4.3,  4.9,  4-7,  4.=.,  z  ,  z  ,  z 
304-5    DfiTfi    C$,55,44.  4-6  ,  Z  ,  Z  ,  Z  ,  Z 
3046    DfiTfi  C$,2,47,5fc,45,2,2,2 
304-7    DfiTfi    C$,44  ,  4-8  ,  4-6 ,  2  ,  2  ,  2  ,  2 
9048  DfiTfi   "at    the   north      edge  oj 

a   wide    chasm.    Rcross    t heoth er  s 
ide    is   a   small    ledge  wideenough 
to    travel    along.  ..",z,  50 ,  z  ,  4.  7 ,  z  , 

904-9     DfiTfi  C$,2,2,U,2,2,Z,2 

3050  DfiTfi   "at    the   south  edge 


a   wide  chais 


R 


;  adder 


of  rope 

forms    a    Kind   of    bridge  ov&.r 
i  c h   you   may    cross.  . .",4S,2,5i, 

,2  .2  3 

S85 1 ''  DRTR    "in   a   side    cavewith  si 
iiiiu   walls.    It    is    quite        damp  an 
here  ..." ,52,2 ,2 ,50,2 ,z , z 

9052  DfiTfi  "facing  so  12=  '  c' K  •  ' 
he  only  exit  is  the  way  you  <-a&r 
e   in . . . " ,z ,51,2 ,2 ,2 ,2 ,2   

Q053    DfiTfi    "facing    SOtia       i  u  u  k  . 

he    only    exit    is    the    way      you  cau 

e  in..."/2.,2,50,2,2..2.,2 

9054  DfiTfi  "facmg  solid  ioa«  { 
he  only  exit  is  the  way  you  cam 
e    in.  .  .",z,z, 43, z,z,z,z 

9055  DfiTfi   "facing   solid  rock, 
he   only   exit    is    the   way  you  ca* 
e    i  n  .  . . "   z , 45 , z   z  ,  z  ,  z , z 

3056  DfiTfi  "facing  solid  ioa.  i 
he    only   exit    is    the    way      you  can 

e     in.  .  .",2,2,2,46,2,2,2 

9057  DfiTfi  "inside    the  bamboo 
hut.    in   a   corner   you   see    the  rem 
ains    of    a   burned   meat.      Sand  l 
nes    the    f  loo r  .  .  .    ,  z  ,  1j 2  ,  z,z  ,  z  ,  * 

9058  DfiTfi  "diving  around  the  ree 
f.  fi  shark  swims  by  .not  n****1" 
g  you  in  the  clear,  blue  ouean  ^ 
ur  f  .  .  .  "   z  ,z  ,z  ,  z  ,  z  ,  z  ,  4. 

9059  DfiTfi  "in  a  deep  man  made  Px 
t.    The   sides    are   made   of    ha»d  e*p> 


February  1984  Micro  Adventurer  35 


CHfinflEL 


SOFTWARE 


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36  Micro  Adventurer  February  1984 


<]rth  and  the  top  is  four  feet  a  k 
ove  your  head  .  Facing  youis  a  s  ? 
gn  carved  into  the  mud. . .">z,z,z 
, z , 60 ,  z  z 

9060  DfiTfi    p       6  ,  Z  ,  Z  ,  Z    Z  ..  Z  .,  12 

9061  DRTfi    "in   an   escape  hatch, 
after   using    the    bucket    tobai I  ou 
t   most   of    the  sand.k."..35,i..z,z; 

2  ,Z, 13 

9062  DATA  "following  the  shore  l 
ine,  as  it  bends  first  one  way 
,    then    the   other. . .",41,z,63,z,z 

9063  DRTfi   "finally  at    theend  of 
the  shore.   To    the   east    isa  large 

fail   of    rocks.    Mist    is  spreadi 
ng   across    the   g  round  ..."  ,  z  ,  z  ,  64- , 

62  , Z , Z  ,  Z  4 

9064  DRTfi   "facing   a    largerocK  fa 
il.   The   way    f  roi»   here    is  narrow 
and    littered    with   j»any  fallen 
boulders.  .  .",2,66, &5 ,b3,91,Z,Z 

9065  DfiTfi    "the    other    sideof  the 
fallen    rocks.    Host   exits   are  bto 
eked    and  dan9erous...",64,z,z,z, 

2  ,  z  ,  z 

9066  DfiTfi  "in  what  must  be  some 
sort  of  burial  grounds.  You  are 
in    the   north    corner   and  high  sc 

a f fold  constructions  riseabove  y 
ou    all    around.  .  .",64,69,6?,z,z,z 

9067  DfiTfi   "in    the    east  corner 
of    the    burial   grounds.        Here  an 
d    there    you    can   see   a  funeral 

eyre . . . " , z , &B , 105 , 66 ,  z  ,  z  ,  z 
3058   DfiTfi    "in    the    west  corner 
nf    the    burial    q rounds.        The  gro 
und   here    has    been   wade         flat  by 
trapping    feet,    and    the  movemen 
:    or   heavy   objects.  .        67 ..  105 ,  ie 

V £•  Eg "  SfiT fi"  "  i  n    the   south  corner 
of    the    burial    grounds.        Stroke  d 
-ift_    across    towards    you -The  fliis 
is   once    again    rising        here.  .  . 

'■  66,71.,65,70,Z,Z,Z 

5070  DfiTfi  "on  the  very  per 2  met 
er  of  the  burial  grounds .You  beg 
in  to  h ear  the  sound  of  the  s  u r 
f.  The  ocean  must  be  nearat  hand 
, . . " , 105,2, 69 , 63 , Z , Z , Z 
90 7 1    DfiTfi    "at    the    high  altar. 

Pldii!    blocK    of    granite  stands 
before    you.    steps    lead    u  p t  o  w  a  r d  s 
the   huge   stone.    To    the     south  t 
e  re    is  o  p  e  n   3  round.  .  .  "  ,  69 , 92 ,  z  , 

Z  ,  105  , z  ,  z 

9073  DfiTfi   "on    the    far  side  0/ 

the    island.    Dust    rises      in  the 
distance    and   is    blown  high  by 

the    wind. .." .2,73,6 , 76 , z , z , z 
9073  DfiTfi    "on    the    north      end  of 
3  s fti a  L l  a  i  r   s  trip.    Z t   i s   o we r g r« 
i«n   with   vegetation    but    no  doubt  s 
t i l I    useable. . . ",72,74,2,z,z,z,z 
9074.  DfiTfi    "at    the   south      end  of 
the    air    strip.    uorK    has      been    u  n 
d  e  r taken    along    this   side    to  prep 
are    the    landing   strip    foruse  at 
s o me    time...", 73 , z , z , 75 , z , z , z 
^975  DfiTR   "right    in    the  centre 
■  f    the   on  I y    r u n w a y .   The  wracKag 
S    of    a   small   private    jet    is  off 
to    one   side...",  76  ,  z  ,  74. ,  z  f  z   z  ,  z 
9076  DfiTfi    "at    the    east        end  of 
a   small    air   strip,    in  thedistanc 
s   you   see    the   wreckage   o  f  a  small 

a  i  r  c  r  a  f  t  .  .  .      z  j 75 , 72 , 77 , z , z , z 
9D77  DfiTfi   "at    the    west        end  of 
a   small    air   strip.    Fietdsare  to 
the    left,    where    the    air      strip  e 
nds .  .  .  "  , Z , 76  f 76 , Z , Z , z , Z 


ground . 
ground 


9078  DfiTfi    "on  unsteady 
Beneath    your    feet  the 

seems    to   move    and   nowhereis  safe 

mm.", 77 , 79 ,6S,Z,Z,Z,Z 

9079  DfiTfi   "at    the    edge    ofa  very 
Urge    swamp.    Movement    is    slow  an 
d   precarious.  .  . ",78,z,81,z,z,z,z 

9080  DfiTfi  "once   more   on  apateh  o 
unsteady   ground,    fill  around 

5  area  the  earth  undaryour  fe 
is   as    a    giant    sponge. .",z,Bl, 

£6/75,2,2,2 


th  i 

e  t 


9081   DfiTfi   "in    the   heart      of  the 
swamp.    Your   shoes    vanish  briefly 
With    each    Step.  .  .",80,82,65,79, 

3© Be"" DfiTfi  "on   a  patch  of  ground 
with    beaten    down    grass.      The  rem 
a  ins    of   small    animals  liescatter 
sd   nearby. . .",8l,z,63,84,z,z,z 

•3083  DfiTfi  "sinking  into  the  swa 
np .  The  more  you  struggle  the  qui 
cker    your   movement    to    the  bo  tto». 

It    is    obvious    there    is      no  (*ay 
to   escape    from  here. . ,",z,z,z,z, 

90siZDflTfi  "at    the  edge  o f the  sva 
mpm    It    is   as   much  as   you   can  do 
to  put   one    foot   in    front   of  the 
other...",85,z,82,z,z,z,r 

3085  DfiTR  "at    the    centre  of  the 
swamp   area.   You  see  siokedri  f tin 
g   up    from  somewhere   c  lose by . . . " , 

36  ,84-  ,90,  81,  Z,Z,Z 

3086  DfiTfi  "in  a  camp  siteby  a  cl 
earing  in  the  swamp,  fi  fire  st 
ill  smoulders,  and  two  tin  mug 
s   of    coffee    rest   on    the      top  of 

a  nearby    log . . . " , 67 , 85 , z , 80 , z , z , 

9087  DfiTfi  "at  the  edge  of  the  swa 
»p  area.  The  camp  fire  issaoulde 
ring   still    close    by . . . " , z , 86 , 88 , 

i^3  ,  z  ,  z  ,  z 

3088  DfiTfi   "in   a    clearing    by  the 
swamp.    The    ground    is    more  firm  he 
re . . . " ,z , z , z , 87, z , z , z 

3089  DfiTfi  "sinking   in  theswamp. 
There    is   no   escape.   The      more  yo 
u  struggle   against    it    the  faster 
you  sink    down . , , " , z , z , z , z , x , z , z 

3030  DfiTfi  "sinking   into      the  swa 
»P .   You   grab    for    any   handhold,  fc 
ut    there    are    none.    The        end  is 
close  now...",z,z,z,z,z,z,z 

3031  DfiTfi   "buried   under      a  pale 
of    rocks.    Suffocation    is   slow,  t 
here    is   no   way   out    from      under  h 
are) "  z  ,z,z,z,z,z,z 

3032  DRTfi  "looking  at  a 
een    valley    ahead,  which 

out    before    you.    The  grass 

S    waist    h  i  gh  .  .  .  " , 97 , Z , 93 , 98 , Z , 71 

3093  DRTfi  "standing  on  the  out 
er  limits  of  the  valley.  The  gra 
ss  appears  flattened  by  somethi 
ng    with    round  .    very   heavyfeet.  .  . 

"  ,  Z  ,  96  ,  34-  ,  32  ,  Z  ,  Z  ,  Z 

9034-   DfiTfi   "following    the   edge  of 
the    valley.    Bones    lie   onthe  grc 
und,    and    the  smell   of  death  I 

ingers   in   the   a i r . . . " , z , 35 , z , 9 


lush  gr 


z 


9035  DfiTfi   "facing    the  largest 
nest    you   have    ever   seen.  1  he  occ 
upants,    although   stilt  obvious 
ly    chicks,    are    e  x t  r  e  m  e  t  y    large  a 
nd    bat-like...", 34 , z , 36, z , z , z ,  z 
9®96  DfiTfi   "moving   deeper    into  tr> 
e   valley.   The   grass    is   a  little 
shorter   now,    making    it  easier 
to    find   your   bearings. . .",93,101 

Z     97     Z     Z ■ Z 

3097*  DfiTfi "deep    into    the  valley. 

fi    large    bird    flies    over  and  rou 

r»d   marks    appear   on    the  ground. 
, , " , 100 , 32 , 36 , 96 , z , z , z 

9098  DfiTfi  "at    the   edge   ofthe    t us 
h   valley.    It    is   st r an geiysi  lent 
here ,    as    though    time   did   not   e ;< i 
st    or   had    stood    S t i t t . . . " , 92 , 99 , 

2     2    2  2 

3®ss' DRTR  "now  having  reached 
the  far  side  of  1 1.^  u*i h-v alt*«. 
fi    large    bird    flies    over   your  he 

ad  and  disappears  over  a  distant 
hill..-"/ 98 , z , 100, z ,z , z ,  z 

3100  DfiTfi   "in   a   place  which  h 
as    been    forgotten    by  timealtoget 
her.    Broken   vegetation        can  be 
seen   all   around,    fi  deep     mist  sp 
reads   across    the   ground  towards 

you.  .  .  "  ,  104-  ,  37 ,  10 1 ,  99 ,  z  ,  z  ,  z 

3101  DfiTfi  "in  a  strange  part  of 
the   valley.   The   ground     has  era 

eked   open,    leaving   a  crater  \> 


February  1984  Micro  Adventurer  37 


SCR  ADVENTURES 
present 

CASTLE  BLACKSTAR 

A  medieval  fantasy  for  the  Spectrum  48 K. 
The  first  of  the  ARTEMIS  quests. 

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the  Spectrum  memory 

-full  of  tricks,  traps  and  puzzles 
WILL  YOU  BE  ABLE  TO 
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YOU  WILL  NOT  BE  DISAPPOINTED  BY  THE  ARTEMIS 


DEALER  ENQUIRIES 
WELCOME! 


CASTLE  BLACKSTAR 

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SCR  Adventures. 


NAME.... 
ADDRESS 


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SCR  Adventures, 
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O 


\ 


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DEALER  ENQUIRIES  WELCOME. 


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FREEPOST 

SWANSEA    SA8  4ZZ 


38  Micro  Adventurer  February  1984 


n  rirUcrOn 


<  Just 

"  ,96.. 
9102 

of  a 
ly   w  i 
,z   z  , 

9103 

fter 
wh  i  ch 
9S.  .  . 
9104- 
the  d 

the 
t  hav 
z  ,z ,  z 

9105 


narr 

103, 
DfiTfi 

larg 
der 

z  ,z 

DflTfi 
a  fa 
has 


ow  e 
102.. 
"dy 

e  Cf 
than 


nough  to 
100 *z  ..z  ,z 
in?   at  the 
ater.    It  w, 
i  t   seemed . 


Jump  .  .  . 

hO  ttOM 
ObVi  OUS 

z  ,  z  z 


I  ■ 


I  ■ 


DPITfl 

i  nos 
expe 
e  to 
,  z 

DRTR 


lid 

bro 
z  ,z , 

"be 
aufs 
ri  en 

su  f 


eeding    to        death  a 
own   into  thecrater 
ken   both  your  le 

z  fz  fz  ,z 

ing   eaten    byone  of 
-    How   ever  painful 
ce    is,    you      will  no 
fer    long. . .",z,z,z, 


z  .  z 


;Z/ 


XF    res  >3  THE 


me  to 


res  =  res  +1 : 
N    GO   TO  9730 

9710   PRIhtT    -  "DO   you  Wish 

esurrect   you?":    PRUSE  0 

9715    IF    INKEY$="y"   THEN   GO  TO 
28 

9720    IF    INKEY$="n"   THEN   GO  TO 
90 

9725    GO  TO  9715 

9728   LET    1=1:     LET    S  C  =s  C -5  :  IF 
<0   THEN   LET   S C =0 

GO   TO  50 
I'm   sorry,    but  I 
left    to  resurrect 
This    ti»e    l*«  afr 
•the  e^d  


r 

97 


9729  PRINT 

9730  PRINT 
ve   no  power 
ou  rurthe.ru 
d   it  really 
R   d=l  TO  1©0 

9800  REM 


s  c 


ha 

y 

a  i 


NEXT    d :    SO  TO 


INK    1:     PRPER    7:     BORDER    7:  C 


LS 

9810  PRINT 


9820  PRINT  '"IN  THIS  RDUENTURE  V 
OU  HRUE  BEEN  SHIPWRECKED  OFF  R  5 
OUTH  PACIFIC  ISLRND.  THE  URECKRC- 
E  FROM  YOUR  BORT  IS  URSHED  UP  O 
N    SHORE .    SOMEOF   THE    ITEMS   MRY  BE 

USEFUL   AND       IT    MRY   BE  POSSIBLE 
TO   REPRIR  THE BORT    IF   YOU    CRN  LOC 
RTE   THE    STOCKOF   EQUIPMENT  NECESS 
RRY  TO   DO   SO. " 

9830   PRINT    "SCATTERED    RROUND  THE 
ISLRND   YOU    UILL    FIND    RLL   THE  RE 

TO    ENRBLE   YOU   TO  SET 

"GRTHEIR  THIS  EOUIPME 
WRECK  RND  UORK  ON  T 
UHEN  YOU  HRUE  FOUND 
CRN  CRST  OFF.  BUT  Y 
OU  UILL  HRUE  TO  ESCRPE  THE  CHR5I 
NG   NATIVES . " 

9850   PRINT    INK    S ' "NOU   PRESS   R  KE 
Y   TO   BEGIN   YOUR         LONG   RND  HOPEF 
SEARCH 

9860  PRUSE  0:  CLS  :  PRINT  "DO  YC 
U  UISH  TO  RESTORE  R  PREUI 
OUSLY  5AUED  RDUENTURE?" 
9870  INPUT  r$:  IF  r$="y"  THEN  PP. 
INT  AT  2,0;  "PRESS  ENTER  RND  STAF 
TAPE":  PAUSE  0:  CLS  :  LOAD  "C" 
IF    r*="n"   THEN   CLS  : 


OU 

SAIL . " 
984.0  PRINT 
NT   AT  YOUR 
HE  REFIT. 

IT   ALL  YOU 


9890  GO  TO  9870 
9900  REM 


IF    I  > =72   RND    t  v 

uatch   your   east-west  passage 

GO   TO  1000 

IF    l>=92   AND    U102  THEN  PRI 

NT    '"Long  ag^o  strange  creatures 
livedin  such  places   as    this":  GO 

TO  1000 

9909  IF  I =83  OR  I =89  OR  I =90  OR 
1=102   OR    1=103  THEN   PRINT  '"YOU 

are  passed  help  now*":  go  to  10c 
0 

9910  print  '"Sorry,  but  I'm  a  st 
ranger  here  myself" 

9915   GO  TO  1000 
9920  REM 


9925    IF   S*="pull"   THEN   PRINT  "If 

you   do,    you'll  split  it" 

9930    IF    S*="run"    THEN    PRINT  "YOU 

coward " 

9935    IF    S*="ShOUt"    THEN    PRINT  "i 

would   not    do    that    if    I  were  y 

ou.  You  may  awafcen  soa>e  thing  r 
as  ty  " 

994.0    IF    S*  =  'Search"    THEN    PRINT  " 

That    is   not    the   way    to    find  out 
about  things" 

994-5    IF    S$  =  "hit"    THEN   PRINT  "UiC 

tence  is  the  tss  i  resort  of  re a 
son" 

9950    IF    S*="Cli»b"    THEN    PRINT  "£ 

verest    isn't    in    this  adventure" 

9955    GO   TO  1200 


9980  REM  II 

9981  CLS  ; 

ve  coliecte 
3  1  to  una b 1 
recked  boa  t 
moves  .  " 


PRINT  AT  IS, S; "Sou  ha 
d   enough   u  s  e  f  u  l  a»  a  t  e  r  2 


1  t 


ou    to    r e p a  i  r y o u  r 


It    took    y o u 


;  mov 


9982    PRUSE    220:     POKE    53692 , 

"Sf 
to 

forner  c  o 
t    for  homeus 


PRINT 

o»e  w 
thing 
on  ,  y 
he  ch 

9983 
PRINT 
Off, 
i  S  13 

o  m  e  t 
catc 
n  a  n  o 
if  a  f 
s  e  l  y 
&  .  " 

9964- 
PRINT 

ears 
far  o 

 Fi 

t  an 


ee ks  . 

like 
ou  set 
art  an 

PAUSE 


bo  a  t 

its 

sai 
d  co 

4-00  : 


res  to  re 
of»e  r 

for  ho 
pass  .  " 

POKE  23 


i     *     f     *     t  I 


r      9      W  * 


t  akin 
nd  whi 
hese  p 
h  sigh 
the  r  r 
t  e  r  y  o 
f o  l  low 


9 


one 
c  h  h  a 
as  t  f 
t  of 
unnin 
u  e  Th 
ed  by 


la 

s 

e  w 
one 

es« 


592  , 

y  o  u 
s  t  100  k  a 
en  y 
nths 
t  i  v  e 
to  t 
o  a  r 
v  era 


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in 

tw 
se 


ter 

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ing 

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255  : 

cas 
t  th 
ou  r 

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1T5 

V 


PAUSE 


r  r 


r     9     *     #     /  * 


are    t  h 

u  t  now 


750  :     POKE    23692   255  : 
'  '  iih  e  i  >  3 

but   yot/are  too 
cau g h  t  by    t  h e  at  , 


r  o  w  n  , 
to  be 


they   give    up    t  h e   h u 


na  I  ly  , 

d    return    to    the    sandy  beac' 


PAU5E 

PRINT 

at    last,    y o 

9986*  PRUSE 
PRINT 

e as  ant  trip 


4-00:     POKE  23592.255: 

........  f€ 

sail   on  .,    bound  f  o  r 


*  'TAB   16.;  "S 
"  'TRB   20;  '  goodbye  .  * 


9987    GO   TO  998"? 


9988  REM 


1    IF    1>=1    RND    1<1B  THEN 

'"The   grass   is   always  gr 
n      the    other  side    of    the   hi l 
OO  TO  1000 

9902  IF    1>=1B   RND    I  -.27  THEN 

T      "Tarzan  use    to  swing  on  t 

:     GO   TO  100© 

9903  IF    I >  =2?   RND    lv39  THEN 

'"Beware  of  Inca  Spirits": 
TO  1000 

9904-    IF    1=39   OR    1=4.0  THEN  PR 
"You   need   something    to  hold 
sand":    GO  TO  1000 

IF    1>=4-1   RND    1:57  THEN 

'"Rladdin  worked  wonders  w 
one   of  .these":    GO  TO  1000 
9905    IF    1>=B4-   RND    I  (72  THEN 

T„  '  "y?ly  _P  ?:§c?s    require  holy 


INT 

r  o 

l  "  : 
PR  IN 

has" 

PR  IN 
GO 

INT 

the 


i  th 


act 


9990 
t    o  f 

£5": 

aga 
9991 

N  GO 
9993 

5 

9994- 


PRINT   "You  scored  ";sc; 

-in  rt;aov; 


Qi: 

  ft>  O  * 

print   "Do   you   wish    to  star* 

LET    ffl$  =  INKEY$:     IF    »>*=*"  THE 

TO    9991  r-.   -  - 

IF    m$(    TO    l)s"y"    THEN    GO  f- 

IF    m$f.    TO    l>="n"    THEN    GO  TC 
GO  TO  9991 
REM  2335*3 


5RUE 
CLS 
SRUED 


1 1 


OP  TRPE 


%  1 


b"  LINE  50 
PRINT    RT  9 

" ; RT  11,13; 

d  =  I  TO 

I  I 


. IS. "RDUENT 
l;  "ST 
NEXT  d 


February  1984  Micro  Adventurer  39 


m=CCMI=  A 
SI-CRIST  AGI :  NT 


Mission  Software's  complete  package  on  Project 
Volcano,  is  probably  the  most  advanced  Adventure 
Computer  Game  Package  you  have  considered  this 
year.  It  is  not  just  for  the  dedicated  game  player  but  for 
those  that  want  to  get  involved  in  Secret  Codes  -  Messages,  and  the  seamy-side  of  DI6 
(British  Intelligence)  and  the  K  G  B. 

IT  IS  A  MUST  FOR  THE  SINCLAIR  SPECTRUM  48K  AND  DRAGON  32  HOME  COMPUTER 
OWNERS. 

When  you  receive  your  Adventure  Game  from  Mission  Software  Limited,  included  in  the 
package  is  your  Passport  to  the  international  workings  of  the  Secret  Agents. 
Your  personalised  Passport  will  assist  you  in  negotiating  the  K.G.B.  network  in  the  Soviet 
Block  Countries  and  vital  to  the  success  of  your  mission. 

Command  Headquarters  will  give  you  information  that  other  Agents  have  recorded, 
together  with  their  Communication  Log.  Mission  Instructions,  Secret  Memos,  Classified 
Diagram,  Full  Briefing  Instructions  and  other  Secret  Data 

ITS  UP  TO  YOU  TO  BREAK  THE  CODE  AND  BECOME  A  SUCCESSFUL  SECRET  AGENT 
We  rely  upon  our  Agents  to  feed  back  information  to  make  further  projects  interesting  and 
complex,  to  tax  your  ability  and  to  guarantee  many  hours  of  enjoyment. 
We  believe  Mission  Software  Limited  is  the  only  company  that  supports  its  Field  Agents 
with  a  mass  of  Secret  Information  to  make  the  Mission  exciting  and  enjoyable  which 
makes  it  a  must  in  Computer  Games. 


We  know  your  friends  will  want  to 
become  Secret  Agents  and  use  your 
game,  we  will  be  quite  happy  to  supply 
them  with  their  Passport  and 
Documents  for  £295  per  kit.  This  way 
you  always  retain  your  personal 
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The  moment  you  tell  us  you  have 
completed  your  current  assignment  we 
will  advise  by  Secret  Data  details  of 
how  to  penetrate  one  of  the  World's 
most  secret  establishments. 


.  To  obtain  your  Game  and  personal 
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send  a  Cheque  or  Postal  Order  for  £6.95 
(inc.  P.P.  &  VAT.)  with  the  Coupon  at 
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ORDER  MISSION  1  TODAY  AND  JOIN 
THE  GROWING  NUMBER  OF  SECRET 
AGENTS  OPERATING  FROM  COMMAND 
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1 


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FTWAME  UMI7ISD 


COMMAND  HEADQUARTERS    1st  FLOOR 

49  GRANGE  ROAD    DARLINGTON    Co.  DURHAM 

DL1  5NB    TELEPHONE  (0325)  483344 


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|  NAME  

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40  Micro  Adventurer  February  1984 


nmlcron 


The  most  complete  listing  available  of 
adventures,  war  games  and  real-life  simulations 
-  new  entries  are  printed  in  italic  and  should  be 
sent  to  Adventure  File,  Micro  Adventurer, 


CI 

Abacus 

Into  the  Labyrinth 

£5.99 

Dragon  32, 

716  Llangyfelech  Rd 

Vic  20 

Treboech 

Domain 

£4.95 

Spectrum 

Swansea 

Abbex 

Faust's  Folly 

£5.95 

Spectrum 

Tavistock  House 

34-36  Bromham  Rd 

ViaAfr\rA 

Deaiora 

Aoersott 

»                   1      1      1            \     T      \      Til        ■  ^ 

Adventure  1 

f  <  Q<. 

7VOI 
LAO  1 

7  Maes  Aiallen 

Adventure  1 

Speurum  4«K 

Bow  St 

Dyled 

Abrasco 

r  irate 

CQ  <0 

uragon  m 

The  Grange  Barn 

III'     r~  _i 

Pike  s  hnd 

Eastcote 

Midux 

Acornsott 

rnilosopner  s  yuest 

nor'  n 

a  a  \inri, ...  ui;ii 
4A  Market  Hill 

castle  oi  Kiduies 

CQ  QS 
L7.7J 

any.  » 

Cambridge 

bpninx  Adventure 

CQ  Q< 

DDL  D 

L.ouniQOwn  10  ivoom 

CQ  (K 

1.7.  7 J 

ODV..  D 

Kingdom  oi  Hamil 

CQ  QZ 

nor  D 

DDI  D 

Addictive  Games 

rootoall  Manager 

£5.95 

/-AO  1 

Albert  House 

IT          i  1  >      1  1     \  1  

rootoall  Manager 

c/i  nc 
Lb. y  j 

Spectrum  4oK 

AlK<»rt  VA 
/MDcri  rvU 

Dournemouin 

/xaveniure  iniernauonai 

ocoii  /\uams 

C  t  A  QO 

L  1  O .  77 

/a i an  n  luniy  nit 

l/o  \_ausio  computers 

/\uveniures. 

Ldcii  on 

1  inl    In'  /"a 
1  II  M    I  WVJ 

1  19  lohn  Rripht  Si 

1   17    .'Willi     1)111-111  Jl 

AH  vent  nrplanH    Pi  rati1 

Miivpn!  nrt*s  iiro 

UU  YVI  II  III  (IIV 

Rirminpham 

it  11  II  III  l  CI  lul  II 

Ad vpnt u ro  Mission 

i\  »J  •  vl  1  1  Ul  v  ^  l»II.5.?IV'll 

Imnossihlp  Voodoo 
Castle  The  Count 
Stranpp  Odvssev 
Mvstprv  Fun  House 

ItI  J  Jllvl   J      1     Ull      11  V  I  1   'V.  > 

Pvramiri  of  Doom 
Chosl  Town  ^avupf 

Island  Parts  I  and  II, 
Golden  Voyage 

sent 
£28  95 
on  disk 

on  disk) 

Galactic  Empire 

£14.95 

Atari  E 

Galactic  Trader 

£14.50 

Atari  E 

Treasure  Quest 

£10.95 

Atari  E 

Triad 

£25.49 

Atari  E 

Curse  of  Crowley 

£17.95 

Atari  E 

Manor 

A&F  Software 

Death  Satellite 

£6.90 

Atom,  Oric 

830  Hyde  Road 

Zodiac 

£6.90 

Atom,  Oric 

Manchester 

Pharaoh's  Tomb 

£7.99 

BBC 

Tower  of  Altos 

£6.90 

BBC  1 

Deadwood 

£6.90 

Dragon  32 

Algray  Software 

Fortress  of  Evil 

£7.95 

Colour  Genie 

. 

Ahed  House 

• 

Labyrinth  of  Fear 

£8.95 

Colour  Genie 

Dewsbury  Rd 

Double  Agent 

£12.95 

Colour  Genie 

Ossett 

Wakefield 

Amazing  Games 

The  Last  Jedi 

£4.00 

Spectrum  48K 

39  Maple  Drive 

Dragon 

£4.00 

Spectrum  48K 

Burgess  Hill 

Kane 

£4.00 

Spectrum  48K 

West  Sussex 

Analog  Software 

Analog  Adventure 

£16.95 

Atari  E  +  drives 

c/o  Mapsoft 

Unit  A 

Oak  Rd  South 

Hadleigh 

Ben  fleet 

Essex 

Anirog  Computers 

Dracula 

£5.95 

Vic  20  E 

/ 

8  The  High  St 

Pharaoh's  Tomb 

£5.95 

Vic  20  E 

Anirog  (contd) 

Zok  s  Kingdom 

15. v5 

Vic  2U  h 

Horley  Surrey 

The  Dungeon 

pf  Off 

£5.95 

Vic  20  h 

Artie 

Planet  of  Death 

£5.95 

ZX8I 

Planet  of  Death 

£6.95 

Spectrum  48K 

Inca  Curse 

£5.95 

ZX81 

Main  St 

Inca  Curse 

£6.95 

Spectrum  48K 

Brandesburton 

Ship  of  Doom 

£5.95 

ZX81 

Driffield 

Ship  or  Doom 

£6.95 

Spectrum  48K 

Yorks 

Espionage  Island 

£5.95 

/AO  1 

espionage  island 

opecirum 

Golden  Apple 

£6.95 

bpcLtrum  4«K 

Assassin  Software 

Usurper 

£o.0() 

bpectrum 

10  Ash  Rd 

Krago  Castle 

£6.00 

Spectrum 

Leeds  6 

Atari 

Energy  Czar 

.     i     j  /Art 

£14.99 

A  f— 

Atari  E 

Atari  House 

Kingdom 

£14.99 

Atari  E 

Railway  Terrace 

ET 

£29.99 

Atari 

Slough 

Berks 

Audiogenic 

Tomb  of  Drewan 

£12.95 

Vic  20  E 

PO  Box  88 

Boss 

£*  I  A  QZ 

£14.95 

Vic  20  h 

T    l                       I  * 

Reading 

Grand  Master 

r  i  i  oc 

£17.95 

V  IC  20  h, 

Berks 

PUN  /I  A/1 
L  DM  04 

Automata 

rimania 

f  in  no 

rjptCirUlii  *4^N, 

27  Highland  Rd 

ZX81,  BBC  B 

Portsmouth 

Dragon  32 

Hants 

Groucho 

£10.00 

Spectrum  48K 

Avalon  Hill 

Bl  Bomber 

£11.95 

Atari,  TRS80 

650  High  Rd 

and  III,  CBM 

London  N12 

Pet 

Legionnaire 

£25.95 

Atari,  Apple  1 

VC 

£14.95 

Atari  E,  Appl< 

Bamby  Software 

Leverburgh 
Isle  of  Harris 


Nukewar 


North  Atlantic 
Convoy  Raider 

Midway  Campaign 


Tanktics 


Dnieper  River  Line 


Close  Assault 


Paris  in  Danager 
Telengard 


£11.95 


£11.95 


£11.95 


£17.45 


£18.95 


£21.95 


£25.95 
£17.45 


GFS  Sorceress 


£21.95 


Empire  of  Overmind  £21.95 


Lords  of  Karma 


Fredericksburg 

Tactical  Armour 

Command 
Galaxy 
Voyager  I 


£14.95 

£25.95 
£28.95 

£14.95 
£14.95 


4  drives,  TRS80 
I  and  II 

Atari,  Apple  II, 
TRS80  I  and  III, 
CBM  64,  Pet 
Atari,  Apple  II, 
TRS80  I  and  III, 
CBM  64 
Atari  E,  Apple 

II,  TRS80  1  and 

III,  CBM  64,  Pet 
Atari  E,  Apple 

II,  TRS80  I  and 

III,  Pet 

Atari  E,  Apple 

II,  TRS80  I  and 

III,  Pet 

Atari  E,  Apple 
II,  TRS80  I  and 
III 

Atari  +  drives 
Atari  E,  Apple  II 
+  drives,  TRS80 
I  and  III,  CBM 
64,  Pel 

Atari  E,  Apple 
II,  TRS80  I  and 
III 

Atari  E,  Apple 
II,  TRS80  I  and 
III 

Atari  E,  Apple 
II,  TRS80  I  and 
III 

TRS80  I  and  111 
+  drives 
Apple  II  + 
drives 
Atari  E 
Atari  E, 

Commodore  Pet, 
IBM  PC 


Bug-Byte  Software 

Mulberry  House 


Andromeda  Conquest 

£13.45 

Atari 

Controller 

£18.95 

Atari 

Planet  Miners 

£11.96 

Atari  E 

Scram 

£19.99 

Atari 

Golden  Apples 

£5.95 

Dragon  32 

Planetary  Trader 

£5.95 

Dragon  32 

Surprise 

£8.95 

Dragon  32 

Alien  Odyssey 

£9.95 

Dragon  32 

Scanner  13 

£8.45 

Dragon  32 

Mystery  Manor 

£6.50 

Spectrum  48K 

Alone  at  Sea 

£6.50 

TI99/4A 

Nodrug's  Quest 

£8.45 

TI99/4A 

Underground 

£8.45 

TI99/4A 

Adventure 

The  Castle  - 

£6.95 

Spectrum,  Oric 

Dictator 

£9.00 

ZX8I  [> 

February  1984  Micro  Adventurer  41 


^48K  SPECTRUM  - 


MOUNTAINS 
OFKET 

ADVENTURE 

A  MONSTER  OF  AN  ADVENTURE 
PROGRAM1  COMBAT,  INTER- 
ACTIVE BEINGS,  MONETARY 
SYSTEM,  MAGIC,  EDGAR,  SAVE/ 
LOAD  FACILITY  PLUS  MANY 
OTHER  FEATURES. 

As  well  as  being  a  fast  ingenious 
compelling  adventure  in  itself  the 
Mountains  of  Ket  is  the  first  of  a  3 
part  series  that  builds  into  a 
mammoth  adventurers  challenge. 

Incentive:  It  could  be  adventageous 
if  you  achieve  100%!! 

N002  £5.50 


1984 


A  GAME  OF 
GOVERNMENT  MANAGEMENT 


SPLAT! 

ARCADE 

ONE  OF  THE  MOST  ORIGINAL 
AND  COMPELLING  ARCADE 
GAMES  EVER  PRODUCED! 
STARRING  ZIPPY!! 

"SPLAT!  is  one  of  the  most 
addictive  games  I  have  ever  played 
on  the  48K  SPECTRUM,  It  is 
certainly  the  most  original" 

Computer  &  Video  Games 

NOW  AVAILABLE  FROM  WH  SMITH 
AND  BOOTS. 

N001  £5.50 


1984 


THE  GAME  OF 
ECONCTMIC  SURVIVAL 

THE  BRITISH  ECONOMY  WITH  YOU 
AT  THE  CONTROLS!  WHAT  SORT 
OF  CHANCELLOR  WOULD  YOU 
MAKE  WITH  SEVERAL  BILLION 
POUNDS  TO  SPENDS  FIVE 
YEARS  TO  THE  NEXT  GENERAL 
ELECTION?  GRAPHIC  DISPLAYS, 
HISTOGRAMS  &  AN  ANNUAL 
PERFORMANCE  RATING  ARE  ALL 
INCLUDED  TO  SHOW  HOW  YOU' 
ARE  DOING.  HOW  MANY  YEARS 
WILL  YOU  LAST? 

FREE  INSIDE:  Pocket  Guide  to 
Running  Britain"! 

N003  £5.50 


All  programs  run  in  the  48K  ZX  SPECTRUM  and  are  available  from  all 
good  computer  shops.  In  case  of  difficulty  please  order  direct  using 
the  coupon  below. 

Please  send  me  (tick  box(es)  required) 
SPLAT  □    MOUNTAINS  OF  KET  □    1984  □ 

All  at  £5.50  each  (inclusive  of  VAT  and  1st  class  postage) 
I  enclose  cheque/P.O.  for  £  or  debit  my  Access  Account  No 


Name 


Address__  

cqg-v  INCENTIVE  SOFTWARE  LTD.,  54  London  Street 
^-<^  Reading  RG1  4SQ.  Tel:  Reading  (0734)  591678 


1  V  1 

FootbaUGame 


Football  Mc 

Designed  by  Kevin  Toms 


Some  of  the  features  of  the  game: 

★  Matches  in  3D  graphics 

★  Transfer  market  ★  Promotion  and 
relegation  ★  F.A.  Cup  matches  ★ 
Injury  problems  ★  Full  league 
tables  ★  Four  Divisions  

★  Pick  your  own  team 
for  each  match.  ★  As 
many  seasons  as  you 
like  ★  Managerial 
rating  ★  7  skill  levels 

★  Save  game  facility. 


ddictire 


*  ZX81  Chart 

Home  Computing  Weekly 
1.8.83  andl  11  83 


Comments  about  the  game  from  press  and  our  customers 
FOOTBALL  MANAGER  is  the  best  game  I  have  yet  seen  on  the 
Spectrum  and  my  personal  favourite  of  all  the  games  on  any  micro     To  the  ordinary 
person  it  is  an  excellent  view  of  what  can  be  done  m  tne  field  of  computer  games 
The  crowning  glory  of  this  game  is  the  short  set  pieces  of  match  highlights  which  show  little 
stick  men  running  around  a  pitch,  shooting  defending  and  scoring     it  is  a  compulsive 
game  but  people  who  cannot  take  game  sessions  of  9  hours  or  so  which  happened  on  one 
nappy  Sunday  will  be  grateful  to  know  that  there  is  a  save  to  tape  option  FOOTBALL 
MANAGER  has  everything  it  could    .  The  originator  Addictive  Games  certainly  deserve  the 
name  "  Rating  19  20  (Practical  Computing-  Auqustt983l 


From  software  stockists  nationwide,  inc        WHSMH  Hifr 


Prices    Spectrum  48K    £6  95 
ZX8116K  £5  95 

N6  3D  GRAPHICS  ARt  NOHNCLUDiC 
IN  1HE  ZX8-  ViRSlON! 

Overseas  woe's  aaa  V  50 


o  ofoer  ov  mo't  fp&p  fteei  sena 
cr>eques  o*  pos'o'  oraets  'o 

XddtcfiH!  Gomes 

Albert  House.  Albert  Poad 
Bournemouth  BH1 1BZ 


Dealers!  For  urgent  stocks  send 
your  headed  notepaper  direct  to 
our  address 


JS.  Hurler  at  the  Mutwt 

Death  comes  to  a  quiet  country  village  when  the  Lord  of  the  Manor  is  savaqely 
murdered. 

The  police  are  baffled  with  no  obvious  dues  to  help  them. 

Your  skills  as  an  ace  investigator  are  required  to  identify  and  apprehend  the 
murderer.  This  w.ll  involve  searching  for  clues  (which  could  be  dangerous  requ.ring 
ingenious  deductions),  examining  the  scene  of  the  crime  and  asking  questions  of  the 
right  people. 

What  is  the  mystery  of  the  Gravediggers  Hut? 
What  secret  does  the  safe  hold? 
What  lurks  at  the  bottom  of  the  brook? 

These  may  be  some  of  the  questions  you  will  ask  yourself  during  your  investigation 
into  the  murder  at  the  manor. 

The  game  is  based  on  a  fixed  map.  comprising  the  Manor  House,  the  Garden  the 
Town,  the  Graveyard  and  many  other  fully  described  locations,  inhabited  by  a  variety 
of  individual  characters  whom  you  are  likely  to  meet. 

t  11*  YOU!  t0        t0  S°IVe       mUrder'  the  '0ca,S  may  know  the  answer  ~  but  will  they 

This  original  adventure  fills  your  48K  Spectrum  with  over  1  20  locations,  all  of  which 
are  depicted  in  full  colour  machine-coded  graphics. 

Add  sound  effects,  a  full  score  and  save  game  facility  plus  a  comprehensive  and 
easy  to  use  command  analyser  (incorporating  abbreviations  and  multi-command  lines) 
and  you  are  sure  of  many  exciting  and  frustrating  hours. 

WARNING  -  this  is  a  4D  adventure  where  night  brings  added  difficulties. 


Cassette  and  instruction  booklet 
costs  £6.95  inc. 
GEMTIME,  16  Ben  Ledi  Road,  Kirkcaldy,  Fife 

Dealer  enquires  welcome 


42  Micro  Adventurer  February  1984 


Bug-Byte  (Contd) 
Canning  Place 
Liverpool 


Runtasofl 

149  Monks  Walk 

Buntingford 

Herts 

Carnell  Software 

North  Weylands 

Industrial  Estate 
Mosley  Rd 
Hersham 
Surrey 
CCS 

14  Langton  Way 
London  SE3 


Chalksoft 

37  Willowslea  Rd 

Northwick 

Worcester 

Chameleon  Software 

c/o  Calisto  Computers 

119  John  Bright  St 

Birmingham 

Channel  8 

51  Fishergate 

Preston 

Lancashire 


Commodore 

675  Ajax  Avenue 

Slough 

Berks 


Compusense 

286D  Green  Lanes 
PO  Box  1 69 
Palmers  Green 
London  N13 
Computer  Rentals 
140  Whitechapel  Rd 
London  El 


Cosmi 

c/o  CentreSoft  House 
Unit  16 
Bloomfield  Rd 
Tipton 

West  Midlands 
CP  Software 

17  Orchard  Lane 

Prestwood 

Bucks 

Crystal  Computing 

2  Ashton  Way 


Dragonquest 

£11.50 

BBC 

Damsel  and  the  Beast 

£6.50 

ZX81 

Adventure 

£5  95 

7X81 

Old  Father  Time 

£9.50 

BBC  B 

Kraal  s  Kingdom 

£4.95 

Vic  20  E 

Volcanic  Dungeon 

£5.00 

ZX81.  Sneclrum 

Dragon  12 

Black  Crystal 

£7.50 

ZX8I,  Spectrum 

Wumpus  Adventure 

£5  00 

7X81 

The  Crypt 

£4  95 

'sneclrum  J^k 
OJ'tLU  UIII  *4olS. 

Corn  Cropper 

£5  00 

■Mar  •  \f\r 

7X81  Srw*rlrum 

Corn  Cropper 

£6  00 

Snei't rum  dSk' 

BBC 

Auto  Chef 

£6.00 

Sneetrum  48k' 

"I'vvii  Kill    ~il  l\ 

Print  Shop 

£6.00 

Spectrum  48K 

Airline 

£6.00 

Laser.  Spectrum 

48  K 

Airline 

£6.95 

Oric 

Dallas 

£5.00 

Laser,  Spectrum, 

BBC 

Dallas 

£6.95 

Oric 

Cameloi 

£5.00 

Snectrum  7X81 

Laser 

Smuggler 

£5  00 

Am  m.'  •  V7V/ 

Sneetmm  7VXI 

I  aser 

Plunder 

£5  00 

Sped  rum  7VKI 

Laser 

British  Lowland 

£5  (X) 

Sruvtrum  7X81 

Laser 

Byte 

£5.00 

Spectrum,  ZX8I, 

Laser 

Gangsters 

£5.00 

Spectrum,  ZX8I, 

Laser 

Abyss 

£5.00 

Spectrum,  ZX8I, 

Laser 

Inkosi 

£6.95 

BBC,  Spectrum, 

Vic  20 

Slone  of  Sisyphus 


£27.99     Atari  plus  drives 


The  Golden  Baton 
The  Time  Machine 
Arrow  of  Dealh  1 
Arrow  of  Death  2 
Escape  from  Pulsar  7 
Circus 

Feasibility  Experiment 
The  Wizard  Akyrz 
Perseus  and 

Andromeda 
Ten  Little  Indians 
Adventureland 
The  Count 
Mission  Impossible 
Pirate  Cove 
Voodoo  Castle 
Strategic  Advance 
High  Flyer 

Pirates  Ahoy 


£9.95 
£9.95 
£9.95 
£9.95 
£9.95 
£9.95 
£9.95 
£9.95 
£9.95 

£9.95 
£9.99 
£9.99 
£9.99 
£9.99 
£9.99 
£4.99 
£14.95 

£7.95 


Atari  E, 
Atari  E, 
Atari  E, 
Atari  E, 
Atari  E, 
Atari  E, 
Atari  E, 
Atari  E, 
Atari  E, 


CBM  64 
CBM  64 
CBM  64 
CBM  64 
CBM  64 
CBM  64 
CBM  64 
CBM  64 
CBM  64 


Atari  E,  CBM  64 
Vic  20 
Vic  20 
Vic  20 
Vic  20 
Vic  20 
Vic  20  E 
CBM  64  + 
drives 
Dragon  32 


■ 


Rescue 

£5.95 

Spectrum  48K 

Keys  of  Roth 

£6.95 

Dragon  32 

Stargazer's  Secrets 

£5.95 

Spectrum  48K 

Woods  of  Winter 

£5.95 

Spectrum  48K 

The  Incredible 

£5.95 

Spectrum  48K 

Adventure 

Forbidden  Forest 

£9.95 

CBM  64 

Colossal  Caves 
Golfing  World 


Dungeon  Master 
Halls  of  the  Things 


£6.95  Spectrum  48K 
£5.95      Spectrum  48K 


£7.50  Spectrum  48K 
£7.50       Spectrum  48K 


Crystal  Computing  (Contd) 
East  Hcrrington 
Sunderland 
Crystal  Computing 

c/o  Soft  Machine 
Station  Crescent 
Blackheath 
London 
Datasofl 

c/o  CentreSoft  House 
Bloomfield  Rd 
Tipton 

West  Midlands 
Digital  Fantasia 

24  Norbreck  Rd 
Blackpool 
Lanes 


Merchant  of  Venus  £5.50 

The  Island  £7.50 

Invasion  of  the  Body  £7.50 
Snatchers 


ZX8I 
ZX8I 


l)K  I  ronies 

Unit  6 
Shire  Hill 
Industrial  Estate 
Saffron  Walden 

Essex 

Doric  Computer  Services 

3  The  Oasis 
Glenfield 

Leicester  LE3  8Q5 
Dragon  Data 

Kcnfig  Industrial 

Estate 
Margam 
Pt  Talbot 
West  Glamorgan 


O'Riley's  Mine 

£21.95 

Atari 

The  Wizard  of  Akyr/ 

£9.95 

BBC  B, 

Spectrum  48 K 

Perseus  and 

£9.95 

BBC  B, 

Andromeda 

Spectrum  48K 

Ten  Little  Indians 

19.95 

BBC  B, 

Spectrum  48K 

Arrow  of  Death  1 

£9.95 

BBC,  Spectrum 

48K 

Arrow  of  Death  2 

£9.95 

BBC,  Spectrum 

48  K 

The  Golden  Baton 

£9.95 

BBC,  Spectrum 

48K 

Time  Machine 

£9.95 

BBC,  Spectrum 

48K 

Circus 

£9.95 

BBC  B, 

Spectrum  48K 

Feasibility  Experiment 

£9.95 

BBC  B, 

Spectrum  48K 

Escape  from  Pulsar  7 

£9.95 

BBC  Bf 

Spectrum  48 K 

Dictator 

£5.95 

Spectrum  48 K 

Dictator 

£6  95 

BBC  B 

Oracles  Cave 


£7.95       Spectrum  48K 


Dungeon  Software 

Milton  House 
St  John  St 
Ashbourne 
Derbyshire 

Educational  Software 

c/o  Mapsoft 
Unit  A 

Oak  Rd  South 
Hadlcigh 
Ben  fleet 

Essex 

Eighth  Day  Software 

18  Flaxhill 

Morel  on 

Wirral 

Merseyside 

English  Software 

c/o  CentreSoft  House 

Unit  16 

Bloomfield  Rd 

Tipton 

West  Midlands 
Epyx 

c/o  CentreSoft  House 
Unit  16 
Bloomfield  Rd 
Tipton 

West  Midlands 


Epyx 

c/o  Mapsoft 
Unit  A 

Oak  Rd  South 
Hadleigh 


Calisto  Island 
Dragon  Mountain 
Madness  and  the 

Minotaur 
Quest 

Black  Sanctum 
El  Diablero 
Mansion  of  Doom 
Poseidon  Adventure 
Final  Countdown 
Stalag/Fno 

The  Crystal  Chalice  of 

Quorum 
The  Temple  of  Zoren 
Treasure  Tom  be 
Giant's  Castle 
The  Adventures  of 

Proto 


£7.95 
£7.95 
£7.95 

£7.95 
£"  95 
i"i  95 
£7.95 
C7  95 
£"  95 
£7.95 
£7/>S 

i7.95 
£7  95 

r  95 

1.7.95 


Dragon  32 
Dragon  32 
Dragon  32 

Dragon  32 
Dragon  32 
Dragon  32 
Dragon  32 
Dragon  32 
Dragon  32 
Dragon  32 
Dragon  32 

Dragon  32 
Dragon  32 
Dragon  32 
Atari  i  drives 


Dark  Lore 


I' 


Spectrum  48K, 
ZX81 


Escape  from  Perilous       £14.95  Atari 


Temple  of  Apshai 
Upper  Reaches  of 

Apshai 
Curse  of  Ra 
Crush  Crumble  Chomp 
Gateway  to  Apshai 

Sword  of  Fargoal 
Datestones  of  Ryn 
Invasion  Orion 
Rescue  at  Rigel 
Star  Warrior 
Crush,  Crumble  and 


£27.95  CBM  64,  Atari 

£15.95  CBM  64,  Atari 

£15.95  CBM  64.  Atari 

£21.95  CBM  64,  Atari 

£27.95  (  BM64, 
TI99/4A 

£21.95  CBM  64 

£13.80  Atari  E,  Vic  20 

£17.25  Atari  E,  Vic  20 

£20.75  Atari  E 

£27.45  Atari  E 

£20.75  Atari  E  > 


February  1984  Micro  Adventurer  43 


ntey 


our  own  mat 


e  cot 


'ventures 


Without  any  knowledge  of  machine  code  whatsoever 


THE  QUILL  „  a  major  new  utility  written  in  macnine  code  wkick  allows  even  tne 
novice  programmer  to  produce  nign-speed  macnine  code  adventures  of  superior 
quality  to  many  available  at  tne  moment  witliout  any  knowledge  of  macnine  code 
whatsoever. 

Using  a  menu  selection  system  you  may  create  well  over  200  locations,  describe 
tkem  and  connect  routes  between  tkem.  You  may  tken  fill  tkem  witk  objects  and 
problems  of  your  ckoice.  Having  tested  your  adventure  you  may  alter  and  experi- 
ment witk  any  section  witk  tke  greatest  of  ease  .  A  part  formed  adventure  may  be 
saved  to  tape  for  later  completion.  Wken  you  kave  done  soTHE  QUILL  will  allow 
you  to  produce  a  copy  of  your  adventure  wkick  will  run  independently  of  tke  main 
QUEL  editor,  so  tkat  you  may  give  copies  away  to  your  friends. 
THE  QUILL  is  provided  witk  a  detailed  tutorial  manual  wkick  covers  every  aspect  of 
its  use  in  writing  adventures.  It  is  impossible  to  describe  all  tke  features  of  tkis 
amazing  program  in  suck  a  small  space  so  we  kave  produced  a  demonstration  cassette 
wkick  gives  furtker  information  and  an  example  of  its  use. 
~  is  available  at  £2,00.  and  THE  QUILL  itself  at  £14.95. 


FOR  THE  48K  SPECTRUM  AT  £14.95 


Our  Software  is  now  available  from  many  computer  shops 
nationwide,  or  direct  from  us  by  post  or  telephone. 

SA  E  for  full  details  of  our  range. 
Dealer  enquires  welcome. 


GILSOFT 

30  Hawthorn  Road 
Barry 

South  Glamorgan 
CF6 8LE 

®(0222)  41361  X  430 


TELEPHONE  YOUR  ORDER 

WITH 


-<j 


SOFTWARE  AT  BETTER  PRICES 


MAIL 

ORDER 

ONLY 


Dept.  MA)  P.O.  Box  107,  Uxbridge,  Middlesex,  UB10  ORG 


DRAGON  32 

CHANNEL  8 

GOLDEN  BATON 
TIME  MACHINE 
ARROW  OF  DEATH 
PULSAR  7 
WIZARD  OF  AKYRZ 
FEASIBILITY  EXP 
CIRCUS 

RRP  E9.95  Our  Price  £8.95 
PEAKSOFT 

DEATHS  HEAD  HOLE 
LIONHEART 

R  R  P  f5.45  Our  Price  £4.95 
ALL  MICRODEAL  TITLES 
R  RP  £8.00  Our  Price  £7.75 


COMMODORE  64 

BUG  BYTE 

TWIN  KINGDOM  VALLEY 
RRP  £9.50  Our  Price  £8.50 
MELBOURNE  HOUSE 
THE  HOBBIT 

RRP  £14.95  Our  Price  £12.95 
DURRELL 

QUEST  OF  MERRAVID 
R  R  P  £7.95  Our  Price  f7.25 
ALL  CHANNEL  8 
MYSTERIOUS  ADDVENTURES 
R  R  P  £9  95  Our  Price  £8  95 


SPECTRUM 

MIKRO  GEN 

INHERITANCE 
GREAT  BRITAIN  LTD. 


MAD  MARTHA  II 

MAD  MARTHA  II 

RRP  £6.95  Our  Price  £6.25 

LEGEND 

VALHALLA 

R  R  P.  £14.95  Our  Price  £12.95 

GILSOFT 

THE  QUILL 

R  R  P  £14.95  Our  Price  £12.95 
MELBOURNE  HOUSE 

THE  HOBBIT 

R  R  P.  £14.95  Our  Price  £12.95 
CRL 

WOODS  OF  WINTER 

R  R  P.  £6  95  Our  Price  £6  95 


VIC  20 

DURRELL 

QUEST  OF  MERRAVID 

R  R  P  £7  95  Our  Price  £7.25 

QUICKSILVA 

TRADER  TRILOGY 

R  R  P.  £14  95  Our  Price  £12.95 

TERMINAL 

RESCUE  FROM  CASTLE  DREAD 

MAGIC  MIRROR 

R  R  P.  £9  95  Our  Price  £8.75 

CHANNEL  8 

BLACK  SQUID 

R  R  P  £9.95  Our  Price  £8.95 

ANIROG 

DUNGEONS 

DARK  DUNGEONS 

R  R  P  £5.95  Our  Price  £5.50 


ATARI  OWNERS  -  The  full  range  of  Adventure  International  products  are  available 
at  Our  Prices.  Send  SAE  for  full  lisl 


OR  SEND  SAE  FOR  OUR  CATALOGUE 
STATING  MACHINE 


EPIC  ADVENTURES 

FULL  SCALE  MACHINE  CODE  ADVENTURES 
FOR  THE  BBC  AND  ELECTRON 


OUR  EPIC  BBC  ADVENTURES  ARE  NOW  ALSO 
AVAILABLE  FOR  THE  ELECTRON.  EACH  GAME 
CONTAINS  ALL  THE  DETAILS  OF  THE  ORIGINALS. 
WITH  ONLY  MINOR  CHANGES  TO  THE  TEXT 

"APPROX.  230  FULLY  DESCRIBED  LOCATIONS  *  COLOUR  * 
ULTRA-FAST  RESPONSE  "  SCORING  "  FAST  GAME  SAVE  ON 
TAPE  *  FULL  SENTENCE  COMMANDS  ACCEPTED  "  EACH 
GAME  INCLUDES  INTRODUCTION  AND  PLAYING 
INSTRUCTIONS  * 

CASTLE  FRANKENSTEIN:  The  Frankenstein  Monster  was 
thought  to  have  been  killed  in  a  fire  at  the  Castle  20  years  ago;  but 
a  series  of  unsolved  murders  has  taken  place  and  the  people  fear 
that  the  Monster  is  on  the  loose  again.  Explore  the  graveyard  and 
Castle  ruins,  with  its  secret  passages,  sulphur  pits,  etc.  to  find  and 
destroy  the  Monster. 

THE  QUEST  FOR  THE  HOLY  GRAIL:  To  become  a  knight  of  the 
round  table  you  must  find  the  Holy  Grail  and  return  with  it  to 
Camelot.  Your  search  will  take  you  through  forest,  swamp,  castle, 
dungeons  and  rivers,  and  on  the  way  you  will  meet  many 
characters,  some  friendly  some  hostile.  Can  you  outwit  them  all 
and  solve  the  many  puzzles  to  successfully  complete  your  quest? 

THE  KINGDOM  OF  KLEIN:  The  Wicked  Witch  has  stolen  the 
Magic  Klein  Bottle  from  its  pedestal  in  the  palace.  She  swore  that 
she  would  put  a  hideous  curse  on  anybody  who  was  foolish 
enough  to  try  to  recover  it.  Your  task  is  to  defy  the  Witch's  curse 
and  solve  the  mystical  properties  of  the  5  solids,  in  order  to  kill  the 
Witch  and  return  the  Bottle  to  the  Klein  Kingdom. 

EACH  GAME  COSTS  ONLY  £7.95  inc  VAT.  (state  BBC  or 
Electron)  P&P  FREE  if  ordering  2  or  more,  otherwise  add  50p 


44  Micro  Adventurer  February  1984 


EPIC  SOFTWARE 

10  GLADSTONE  STREET.  KIBWORTH  BEAUCHAMP 

LEICESTER  LE8  0HL 

Please  make  cheques  payable  to  EPIC  SOFTWARE 


Epyx  (Contd) 
Ben  fleet 

Essex 


I  AO  (Ills 

Penrice  Drive 
Tividale 
Warley 

West  Midlands 
Felix  Software 
19  Leighlon  Ave 
Pinner 
Middlesex 
Gebelli 
c/o  Mapsoft 
Oak  Rd  South 
Hadleigh 
Ben  (leer 
Essex 
Gemtime 
16  Ben  Ledi  Rd 
Kirkcaldy 
Gikofl 

30  Hawthorn  Rd 
Barry 

South  Glamorgan 

Wales 

Golem 

77  Qualitas 

Bracknell 

Berks 

Hewson  Consultants 

60A  Si  Mary's  St 

Wallingford 

Oxon 

Impact  Software 

70  Redford  Avenue 
Edinburgh 


Infocom 

c/o  Softsel 
Central  Way 
Feltham 
Middx 

Infocom 

c/o  CentreSoft  House 
Unit  16 

Bloomfield  Rd 
Tipton 

West  Midlands 
JRS  Software 

19  Wayside  Ave 
Worthing 

Sussex 

J  V  Software 

c/o  Mapsoft 
Unit  A 

Oak  Rd  South 
Hadleigh 
Ben  fleet 

Essex 

Kenema  Associates 
I  Marlborough  Drive 
Worle 
Avon 

Kew  Enterprises 

14  Fairway  Ave 

Manchester 

Lantern  Software 

4  Haffenden  Rd 

Tenterden 

Kent 

I>egend 

1  Milton  Rd 

Cambridge 


Chomp 
Temple  of  Apshai  I 
Upper  Reaches  of 

Apshai  2 
Curse  of  Ra  3 
Crypt  of  the  Undead 
Dragon's  Eye 
King  Arthur's  Heir 
The  Nightmare 
Hellfire  Warrior 
Danger  in  Drindisti  2 

The  Keys  of  Acheron  3 

Monster  Maze 

Escape  Vulcan's  Isle 

Pyramid 

Espionage 


+  drives 
+  drives 


£27.45  Atari  E 

£13.80  Atari  F 

£13.80  Atari  E 

£20.75  Atari  E 

£20.75  Atari  E 

£20.75  Atari  E 

£20.75  Atari  E  +  drives 

£27.45  Atari  E 

£13.80  Atari  E 

£13.80  Atari  E 

£27.45  Atari  E,  Vic  20 

£20.75  Atari  E  +  drives 

£4.95  Dragon  32 

£4.95  Dragon  32 


Tomb  of  Dracula 
Tomb  of  Dracula 


£4.95  Specirum  48K 
£3.95  ZX81 


Dr  Goodcode's  Tavern    £21.95     Atari  E  +  drives 


Murder  ai  the  Manor      £6.95      Specirum  48K 


Tasks/Time-linc 
Magic  Castle 
Diamond  Trail 
The  Quill 

£4.95 
£4.95 
£4.95 
£14.95 

Spectrum 
Spectrum  48K 
Spectrum  48 K 
Spectrum  48 K 

Katakombs 

£8.00 

BBC  B 

Heathrow:  ATC 

Night  flite 

Dragonfly 

Quest  Adventure 
Orb 


The  Quest 

3D  Ma/e 

Zork  I,  II  and  III 


£7.95 
£5.95 
£6.95 
£5.95 
£5.00 


£28.75 
each 


Deadline 
Starcross 
Suspended 
Witness 
Planet  fall 
Castle  Colditz 
Lost  Island 
Battleships 


Journey  to  the  Planets 
Green  Ring 


£37.95 
£37.95 
£37.95 
£37.95 


£3.95 
£3.95 


Spectrum 

Spectrum 

Dragon  32 

Specirum  48 K 

Dragon  32, 

Vic  20  E, 

Spectrum  48K 

Dragon  32, 
Spectrum  48K 
Dragon  32, 
Specirum  48K 
Apple,  Atari, 
CBM  64, 
IBM  PC,  Tl 
Professional, 
CP/M  systems 
(all  plus  drives) 
Atari  E  +  drives 
Atari  +  drives 
Atari  E  +  drives 
Atari  E  +  drives 
Atari  E 

Specirum  48K 

ZX8I 

ZX81 


£20.45      Atari  E 
£7.00  Spectrum 


Hell's  Temple 


£12.00  Oric48K 


Secret  Mission 


Troll  King 

The  Black  Tower 


Valhalla 


£5.00      Vic  20  E 


£5.95  TI  99/4a 
£5.95       TI  99/4a 


£14.95     Spectrum  48K 


I*vel  9  Computing 

229  Hughcnden  Road 
High  Wycombe 
Bucks 


Colossal  Adventure  £9.90 


MC  Lolhlorien 

4  Granby  Rd 
Cheadle  Hulmc 
Cheadle 
Cheshire 


Marlech  Games 
9  Dillingburgh  Rd 
Eastbourne 
Sussex 


Marteeh 

c/o  Soft  Machine 
Station  Crescent 
Blackheath 
London 

Melbourne  House 

131  Trafalgar  Rd 
London  SE10 


Microdeal 

41  Truro  Rd 
St  Austell 
Cornwall 


Mikro-Gen 

24  Agar  Crescent 

Bracknell 

Berks 

Molimerx 

I  Buckhurst  Rd 

Town  Hall  Square 

Bexhill-on-Sca 

East  Sussex 


Adventure  Quest 


£9.90 


Dungeon  Adventure  £9.90 


Snowball 


£9.95 


Samurai  Warrior 
Samurai  Warrior 
Peloponnesian  War 
Johnny  Rcb 
Privateer 

Paras 

Roman  Empire 
Roman  Empire 

Roman  Empire 
Tyrant  of  Athens 
Tyrant  of  Athens 
Warlord 
Warlord 

Warlord 
Roman  Empire 
Bedlam 

Confrontation 
Dreadnaughts 
Red  Baron 
Battle  Zone  2000 
Galaxy  Conflict 
Galaxy  Conflict 


Conflict 
Conflict 


£4.50 
£6.95 
£4.50 
£5.50 
£4.50 

£6.95 
£4.50 
£6.95 

£12.50 

£4.50 

£6.95 

£5.50 

£6.95 

£4.50 

£5.50 

£5.95 

£7.95 

£5.95 

£5.95 

£6.95 

£11.95 

£14.75 


£11.95 
£14.75 


Quest  of  Merravid  £7.95 


CBM  64,  Atari, 
Oric,  l  ynx, 
BBC,  Spectrum, 
Nascom 

CBM  64,  Atari, 
Oric,  Lynx, 
BBC,  Spectrum, 
Nascom 

CBM  64,  Atari, 
Oric,  Lynx, 
BBC,  Spectrum, 
Nascom 
CBM  64,  Atari, 
Oric,  Lynx, 

BBC,  Spectrum 
48K 

ZX8I 

Dragon  32 

ZX8I 

Specirum  48K 
ZX81,  Spectrum 
48K 
BBC  B 
ZX8I 
BBC  B, 
Dragon  32 
Atari  E 
ZX8I 
Dragon  32 
Spectrum  48K 
Oric  48K, 
Dragon  32 
ZX8I 

Spectrum  48K 
Spectrum  48K 
Spectrum  48K 
Spectrum  48K 
Spectrum  48K 
BBC 

ZX8I,  Spectrum 
BBC  B,  Dragon 
32,  CBM  64, 
Atari  E 

ZX81,  Spectrum 
BBC  B,  Dragon 
32,  CBM  64, 
Atari  E 

CBM  64,  Vic  20 


m 


The  Hobbit 


The  Wizard  and  the 

Princess 
Phantom  Slayer 
Mansion  Adventure  I 
Space  Monopoly 
Keys  of  the  Wizard 
Jerusalem  Adventure 
Williamsburg  Boulevard 
Ultimate  Adventure 
Escape 

Sorcerer's  Castle 
Mad  Martha 
Mines  of  Saturn/ 
Return  to  Earth 
Mysterious  Adventures: 
Golden  Baton,  Time 
Machine,  Arrow  of 
Death  Parts  I  and  II, 
Escape  from  Pulsar  7, 
Circus,  Feasibility 
Experiment,  Wizard  of 
Akyrz,  Perseus  and 
Andromeda,  Ten  Little 
Indians 

Epic  Hero:  Ocean 
Hunt,  Dungeon  of 
Derojhen,  Venus  Must 
Live 

Battle  of  Britain 


£14.95 

Specirum  48K, 

CBM  64,  BBC, 

Oric 

£5.95 

Vic  20 

£8.00 

Dragon  32 

£8.00 

Dragon  32 

£8.00 

Dragon  32 

£8.00 

Dragon  32 

£8.00 

Dragon  32 

£8.00 

Dragon  32 

£8.00 

Dragon  32 

£8.00 

Dragon  32 

£5.50 

Specirum 

£5.50 

Specirum 

£5.95 

Specirum 

£10.06 

TRS80  1  and  III, 

each 

Video  Genie  1 

and  11,  Colour 

Genie,  BBC  B 

I 


£10.06 
each 


£15.53 


Concorde 


£17.25 


TRS80  I  and  III, 
Video  Cienie  I 
and  II 


TRS80  I  and  III, 
Video  Cienie  I 
and  II 

TRS80  I  and  III, 
Video  Genie  I 
and  II 

> 


February  1984  Micro  Advenlurer  45 


/COUPAMY 

Ark  A  U# 

GME 

PRICE 

MICRO 

Molimerx  (Contd) 

Video  ( ienie  1 
and  II 

Everest  Explorer 
• 

£10.06 

TRS80  1  and  III, 

Video  (ienie  1 

and  II 

Temple  of  Bast 

£10.06 

TRS80  1  and  III, 

Video  Genie  1 

and  II 

Wumpus 

£6.32 

TRS80  1  and  III. 

Video  Genie  I 

and  II 

Mr  Micro 

Dracula 

£6.90 

Oric  E 

69  Partington  l  ane 

Mysterious  Island 

£9.90 

Vic  20  E 

Swinton 

Cold  Rush 

£6.90 

Vic  20 

Manchester 

Muse  Software 

Castle  Wolfenstein 

£21.55 

Apple,  Atari 

c/O  Soi  l  sell 

(both  plus  drives) 

C  entral  Way 

Felt  ham 

Middx 

Newsofl 

Black  Dwarf's  Lair 

£4.95 

Spectrum 

12  Whitebroom  Rd 

Time  Bandits 

£4.95 

Spectrum 

Warners  End 

Secret  Valley 

£4.95 

Spectrum 

Hemel  Hempstead 

Great  Western 

£4.95 

Spectrum 

Herts 

Spectral  Maze 

£4.95 

Spectru  m 

On-Fine  Systems 

Mission:  Asteroid 

□  7.19 

Atari  E  +  drives 

e/o  Mapsoti 

Wizard  and  the 

£21.79 

Atari  E  +  drives 

Unit  A 

Princess 

Oak  Rd  South 

Ulysses  and  the 

£20.64 

Atari  E  +  drives 

Hadleigh 

Golden  Fleece 

Ben  fleet 

Essex 

Peaksoft 

Death's  Head  Hole 

£5.45 

Dragon  32,  BBC 

7  Hawthorn  Crescent 

B,  Spectrum  48K 

Burton-on-Trent 

Don't  Panic 

£5.45 

Dragon  32 

Derbyshire 

Lionheart 

£5.45 

Dragon  32 

Champions! 

£6.95 

Dragon  32, 

BBC  B, 

Spectrum  48k, 

Oric  48K, 

Electron 

Penguin 

Spy's  Demise 

£15.95 

Atari 

c/o  CentreSoft  House. 

The  Spy  Strikes  Back 

£15.95 

Atari 

Unit  16 

Bloom  Held  Rd 

Tipton 

> 

West  Midlands 

Phipps  Associates 

Knight's  Quest 

£4.95 

Spectrum,  ZX81 

99  East  St 

Greedy  Gulch 

£4.95 

ZX81 

Epsom 

Magic  Mountain 

£4.95 

Spectru  m 

Surrey 

Adventure 

£5.00 

ZX81 

Novotnick  Puzzle 

£5.00 

ZX81 

Gorgon 

£4.95 

Spectrum  48K 

Black  Planet 

£5.95 

Spectrum  48K 

The  Forest 

£9.95 

Spectrum  48K 

Pixel  Games 

Trader 

£9.95 

ZX81,  Spectrum 

c/o  Quicksilva 

£14.95 

Vic  20 

92  Northam  Rd 

Southampton 

Portent  Adventures 

Robin  Hood 

£5.95 

Dragon  32 

Lost  Tower  of  Tintagcl 

£6.96 

Dragon  32 

Premier 

Adventure  Plus 

£7.95 

Dragon  32 

208  Croydon  Road 

House  of  Horrors 

£4.95 

Dragon  32 

London  SE20 

Caverns  of  Doom 

£4.95 

Dragon  32 

Dungeons  of  Death 

£6.95 

Dragon  32 

Dragon  Power 

£7.95 

Dragon  32 

Plant 

£5.95 

Dragon  32 

Oil  Recovery 

£5.95 

Dragon  32, 

Video  (ienie. 

TRS80  I  and  III 

Program  Power 

Adventure 

£7.95 

BBC 

8/8A  Regent  St 

Eldorado  Gold 

£6.95 

BBC  B 

Chapel  Allerton 

Labyrinths  of  La 

£7.95 

BBC  B 

1  ,eeds 

Coshe 

Seek 

£6.95 

BBC 

Adventure 

£6.95 

BBC 

Caveman  Adventure 

£6.95 

BBC 

Protek 

Airliner 

£9.95 

Spectrum  48 K 

c/o  Soft  Machine 

Station  Crescent 

Black  heath 

London 

Psion 

Might  Simulation 

t  /.9? 

Spectrum  4oK 

2  Huntsworth  Mews 

Gloucester  Place 

London  NWI 

Quality  Software 

Ali  Baba 

£24.95 

Atari  E  +  drives 

c/o  CentreSoft  House 

Unit  16 

Bloomfield  Rd 

J  


Quality  Software  (Contd) 
Tipton 

West  Midlands 


Quicksilva 

\  rauer 

fQ  QS 

7X81  Smviriim 

Palmerston  Park  House 

Trader 

ri a  c*\" 

L  1  *+.V? 

Vl(.  L\l 

\*>  ratmerston  Ka 

DiAi>iiiir      1  rill 

i  lonccr  i  ran 

H  <)S 

7X8 1 

Southampton 

Ocean  1  racier 

i  '\  OS" 

'/  VK  1 

riarnpsnirc 

sj rrs i liiolpr* s  ( * nvt* 

16  l)S 

Snectrum  48K 

Velnor's  Lair 

£6.95 

Spectrum  48K 

Xadom 

£6.95 

Spectrum  48K 

Ring  of  Power 

£9.95 

CBM  64 

Red  Shift 

Apocalypse 

£9.95 

Spectrum  48K, 

I2C  Manor  Road 

BBC  B 

London  N16 

Apocalypse  Expansion: 

£4.95 

Spectrum  48K 

Maps 

Apocalypse  Expansion: 

£4.95 

Spectrum  48K 

Ancient  Scenarios 

Apocalypse  Expansion: 

£4.95 

Spectrum  48k 

Modern  Scenarios 

Red  Shift 

Apocalypse 

£9.95 

BBC 

c/o  Soft  Machine 
Station  Crescent 
Blackheath 
London 


U(M'k  hill 

Wi/ard  of  Wor 

£29.95 

Atari  I:  +  drives 

c/o  (  YnlreSolt  House 

Ulr\omfi*»lcl  Ui\ 

i  ipion 

west  iviiuianus 

Komik  7><ntv*are 

i  omos  oi  Aciops 

f  f\  QQ 
in.77 

CRM  fwl 

Ill  Argyll  Ave 

I  OOI  S  V.IOIC1 

CRM  fvl 

.THtUgll 

"Th*»  r"iolrlf»n  Annlt**N  ot 

£4  99 

Vic  20  8  16K 

liC!  ks 

z,eus 

Animal  Magic 

JL  J  .77 

V  K  ZW,    1  ON 

Aorgou  s  Miiguttni 

f  ft  99 

LA  J.  77 

Vii-  ?()  8  16k 

JlJ  IVKJIlSlCl    ^  I1USC 

f  A  QO 

LV1 .  77 

Snectrum  16  4HK 

JlJ   IVH^IIMLI    V_  1  a/v 

f  9  99 

L  7  .  77 

1  vn\ 

i .y  1 1  a 

Whilp  Ov^ial 

VVIMlt  V^IVJltll 

£6  99 

Am  A.  '  ft    S  J 

Draaon  12 

1 1  1  1 1  l  L  L  \v     \  iMIlllUMKl 

f  fS  99 

H» .  7  7 

£)r;iPon  1? 

Suh 

ouu 

£S  99 

Snectrum  16  48 K 

.  _J  1  'V  ^  l  1   Villi                        "  *  '  '  ■ 

salamander 

I  I  dllMIII  S    1  OIIIU 

F9  9S 

I^rnunn  17  One 

1  /  Nortolk  KU 

nngnton 

Vt'Jvar/l  War 

w  i/drcj  vv  ar 

£7  9S 

171   ill-   >   M  l  Jt. 

Sussex 

l.OSl   in  DpdLC 

CO 

1.7.7  J 

1   IfllKMl       4  / 

|yragi\>ii 

nverest 

C7 

i^ragi'ii  jl 

rsiignt  rlignt 

T7 

L  /  .7? 

wragt'ii 

717  Plinhi  ^imnhtnr 

iji  rugni  Diiiiuiau'i 

*'Q  QS 

RRT  M 

saiurn  xmware 

1  OHIO  OI    1  IIIIIIIK'SIS 

£S  SO 

i  j\  iAj^yii  i  ^» fc- 

Meamores 

wax  works 

fS  SO 
LJ .  jyJ 

.>omersnani 

V/"\lc  'a  ni~\  1  ^1  'i  r\ t\ 
v  DlCal  lv»  iMdiiu 

£7  (X) 

1  t  1  J  V-      1  * 

C  'A  m  h 

St'\ crii  S<it Iv* urc 

Cirail 

£6.95 

Oric  48K 

S  School  Crescent 

M  oria 

£4.95 

Spectrum 

1  VMTif^V 
U.  V  UI  Iv  v 

( ilos 

IVIV.JI  lu 

£6  9S 

Oric  48 K 

vJ  IK'-) 

Shards  Software 

Pettigrew's  Diary 

£7.95 

Dragon  32 

189  Eton  Rd 

II  ford 

Essex 

Richard  Shepherd 

Super  Spy 

£6.50 

Spectrum  48K 

Software 

Transylvanian  Tower 

£6.50 

Spectrum  48K 

Elm  House 

Everest  Ascent 

£6.50 

Spectrum  48K 

23-25  Elmshott  Lane 

Ship  of  the  Line 

£4.95 

Spectrum 

Cippenham 

Ship  of  the  Line 

£6.50 

Spectrum  48K, 

Slough 

CBM  64 

Berks 

Invincible  Island 

£6.50 

Spectrum  48K, 

CBM  64 

Devils  of  the  Deep 

£6.50 

Spectrum  48K 

Sierra  On-IJne 

Mission  Asteroid 

£17.95 

Atari  plus  drives 

Systems 

Mission  Asteroid 

£14.35 

AfSple  plus  drives 

c/o  Softsel 

Mystery  House 

£17.95 

Apple  plus  drives 

Central  Way 

Wi/ard  and  Princess 

£23.70 

Atari,  Apple 

Felt  ham 

(both  plus  drives) 

Middx 

Cranston  Manor 

£28.75 

Atari  plus  drives 

Cranston  Manor 

£25.50 

Apple  plus  dri\  es 

Ulysses  and  the 

£25.50 

Apple,  IBM  PC 

Golden  Fleece 

(both  plus  drives) 

Time  Zone 

£71.95 

Apple  plus  drives 

Silverlind 

Haunted  House 

£6.00 

BBC  B 

156  Newton  Rd 

Journey  to  the  Stars 

£6.50 

BBC  B 

Burton-on-Trent 

Passport  to  Death 

£6.50 

BBC  B 

Staffs 

Pentiles 

£6.50 

BBC  B 

Othello 

£6.95 

BBC  B 

Sinclair 

Embassy  Assault 

£4.95 

Spectrum 

Stanhope  Rd 

(also  see  under 

Camberley 

Psion  and  Artie) 

Surrey 

Sinus 

Fantastic  Voyage 

£27.95 

Atari  E  +  drives 

c/o  CentreSoft  House 
Unit  16 


/ 


46  Micro  Adventurer  February  1984 


Sinus  (Contd) 

Bloom  field  Rd 

Tipton 

Wesl  Midlands 

Soft  Toys 

The  Lair 

€6.(K) 

Vie  20  . 

14  Lock  hart  on  Ave 

Star  Warp  II 

£6.(K) 

Vic  20 

Edinburgh 

Software  For  All 

JR 

£6.95 

BBC 

72  North  St 

Space  Kingdom 

£7.95 

BBC  B 

London  N6 

Area  Radar  Controller 

£6.95 

BBC  B 

Spectrum 

Realms  of  the  Undead 

£5.50 

Spectrum  48k 

c/o  CentreSofi  House 

Unii  16 

Bloom  field  Rd 

Tipton 

Sulis  Kducalional 

Time  Traveller 

£7.95 

Spectrum,  BBC 

Software 

4  Church  S( 

Abbey  Green 

Bath 

Superb  Software 

The  Island 

£10.00 

CBM  64 

9B  Oval  Rd 

London  NW1 

Supersoft 

Goblin  Towers 

£9.95 

CBM  64 

Winchester  House 

Streets  of  London 

£9.95 

CBM  64 

Canning  Rd 

Forest  land 

£9.95 

C  BM  64 

Wealdstone 

Cosmic  Capers 

£7.95 

CBM  64 

Harrow 

Cracks  of  Fire 

£7.95 

CBM  64 

Middlesex 

Catacombs 

£27.00 

Pet  +  drives 

Weird  Wood 

£25. (X) 

Pel  +  drives 

Cornucopia 

• 

£35,00 

Pet  +  drives 

Goblin  Towers 

£14.00 

Pet  +  drives 

Cosmic  Capers 

£16.00 

Pel   '  drives 

(  racks  of  Doom 

£16.00 

Pet  +  drives 

Swiftv 

Space  Module  1 

£18.95 

Atari  F.  4  drives 

c/o  Mapsoft 

Unit  A 

Oak  Rd  South 

Hadleigh 

Ben  fleet 

Essex 

Synapse 

Shamir,  1 

£24.95 

Atari,  CBM  64 

c  o  CentreSofi  House 

Shamus  II 

£24.95 

Atari  F 

Unit  16 

Necromancer 

£24.95 

Atari  F 

Bloomfield  Rd 

Tipton 

West  Midlands 

Temptation  Software 

Dungeons  of  Doom 

£5.95 

Spectrum  48k, 

27  Cinque  Ports  St 

ZX81 

Rye 

Admiral  Graf  Spec 

£5.95 

Spectrum  48K 

East  Sussex 

ZX81 

Special  Mission 

£5.95 

TI99/4A  F 

Baron 

£5.95 

Spectrum  48K, 
ZX8I 

Terminal  Software 

C  urse  of  ihe  Werewolf 

£9.95 

Vie  20  F 

28  Church  1  anc 

Rescue  from  Castle 

£9.95 

Vic  20  F 

Preslvvich 

Dread 

Manchester 

Magic  Mirror 

£9.95 

Vic  20  F 

Nosfcralu 

£9.95 

Vic  20  F 

Space  Island 

£6.95 

Spectrum  48K 

Vampire  Village 

£6.95 

Spectrum  48k 

lltimate 

Aiic  Alac 

£5.50 

Spectrum  48k 

The  Green 

Lunar  Jeiman 

£5.50 

Spectrum  48k 

Ashby-de-la-Zouch 

■ 

1  eics 

V  irgin  dames 

Castle  Adventure 

£6.95 

Dragon  32 

61-63  Portobello  Rd 

i  ontion  w  1 1 

VVintersoft 

Ring  of  Darkness 

£9.95 

Dragon  32 

30  Uplands  Park  Rd 

Operation  Gremlin 

£6.95 

Oric  48k 

Enfield 

Middx 

Work  Force 

Adventure  in  Time 

£7.00 

7X91, 

140  Wiisden  Ave 

Spectrum  48k 

Luton 

Pirate  Island 

£6.50 

Spectrum  48k 

Beds 

TOWN  NATHAN 

HOME  COMPUTERS,  SOFTWARE,  BOARD 
GAMES,  ROLE  PLAYING  GAMES  AND  BOOKS 


WEST  YORKSHIRE  S 
LOCAL  COMPUTER  SHOPS 


=    MORLEY  - 


=    HEADINGLEY  - 


=    CROSSGATES  - 


DRAGON  BYTE 

51a  Queen  Street 

Morley 

Leeds  28 

Tel:  0532  522690 
LAST  CHANCE 

10  Ash  Road 
Headingley 
Leeds  6 

Tel:  0532  744235 

HIEROMANS  DELL 

89  Penda's  Way 
Leeds  1  5 

Tel:  0532  641855 


z 


NOTES  TO  THE  TABLE 


71 


Atari:  the  programs  will  run  on  either  the  Atari  400  or  800 
unless  E  is  specified,  in  which  case  extra  memory  is  needed  on 
the  400. 

BBC:  the  programs  will  run  on  either  of  the  BBC  micros  unless 
the  model  B  is  specified,  in  which  case  extra  memory  is  needed 
on  the  model  A. 

Drives:  if  a  program  needs  a  disk  drive  system  this  is  specified 
in  the  micro  column. 

Spectrum:  the  programs  will  run  on  either  Spectrum,  n 


=  We're  worth  a  visit  because: 

=  *    We've  probably  the  best  range  of  software  in  the 

=  North  -  and  we're  improving  all  the  time. 

=  *    We've  a  growing  range  of  computers,  peripherals, 

=  upgrades  and  books. 

EE  *    We've  the  biggest  range  of  Citadel  figures  for  leagues 

EE  around. 

=  *    We've  board  and  adventure  games  for  all  ages  from 

=J  TSR,  Games  Workshop,  Avalon  Hill,  Victory  Games, 

=  GDW,  Yaquinto,  etc,  etc. 

=  PROGRAMMERS    -    Assassin    Software    needs  your 

=  marketable  programs.  Give  us  a  call. 


17 


8TH  DAY 
ADVENTURE 

DARK  LORE  IS  A  DYNAMIC  NEW 
TEXT  ADVENTURE  GAME  with  over 
1 00  locations,  and  many  problems  to 
solve  on  your  journey. 
Can  you  find  the  sacred  talisman,  pit 
your  wits  against  insurmountable 
problems,  and  face  many  perils  in  your 
bid  to  confront  the  Dark  Lord?  Have 
you  the  courage  to  do  battle  with  a 
host  of  awesome  creatures,  gamble 
your  final  reserves  of  money,  seek  a 
sea  passage,  soar  boldly  through  the 
sky,  all  in  a  desperate  struggle  for  good 
to  triumph  over  unspeakable  evil?  Dark 
Lore  is  the  epic  adventure  to  play  for 
the  48K  ZX  Spectrum.  Send  £6.95  to: 

COMING  SOON  .  .  . 

BYTE  YOUR  THUMB!! 

The  craziest  adventure  game  yet  — 

ARE  YOU  MAN  ENOUGH  TO  MEET  THE  MOP??*!? 

8TH  DAY  SOFTWARE 
18  FLAXHILL 
MORETON,  WIRRAL 
MERSEYSIDE  L46  7UH 


I  cbruary  1984  Micro  Adveimirer  47 


If  you  need  advice  or 
have  some  to  offer 

write  to  Tony  Bridge, 
Adventure  Help,  Micro 
Adventurer,  12-13  Little 

Newport  St,  London 


THIS  MONTH  I'll  look  at  the 
kind  of  problems  —  and  some 
of  the  solutions  encountered 
when  playing  adventures. 

Adventure  programs  often 
let  you  stumble  about  in  the 
dark  for  only  a  short  time,  or  a 
couple  of  turns  before  deciding 
that  you  haven't  the  faintest 
idea  of  how  to  proceed  and 
dumping  you  unceremoniously 
in  the  nearest  ice-cold  under- 
ground stream. 

But  what's  this  —  something 
else  comes  up  on  the  screen: 
YOU  ARE  IN  A  SMALL 
CAVE.  THERE  IS  A  SMALL 
WOODEN  BOX  HERE.  TO 
THE  NORTH  YOU  SEE  AN 
UNDERGROUND  STREAM 
FLOWING  THROUGH  A 
SMALL  CRACK  IN  THE 
ROCK.  THROUGH  THE 
CRACK  YOU  CAN  JUST 
MAKE  OUT  SOMETHING 
GLITTERING  IN  THE 
DARK  BEYOND. 
WHAT  NOW? 

He! He  Some  treasure!  Must 
get  it!  Flushed  with  justifiable 
pride  at  our  success  at  using  the 
octopus,  we  attack  the  next 
problem  with  gusto.  How  are 
we  going  to  get  at  that  gold  in 
the  next  cave? 

We  can  try  the  direct  route, 


by  typing: 

N(for  NORTH) 

YOU  CAN'T  GO  THAT 
WAY  WHAT  NOW? 

That's  a  bit  of  a  blow.  The 
computer,  darn  it,  doesn't 
seem  very  impressed  with  our 
previous  brilliant  deductions, 
and  is  already  putting  more 
problems  our  way!  There  must 
be  a  way  through  the  crack. 
Maybe  we  are  carrying  too 
many  goodies,  and  we  can't 
squeeze  through. 

DROP  ALL 

O.K. 

WHAT  NOW? 
N 

YOU   CAN'T  GO  THAT 


WAY 

WHAT  NOW? 

Hmm,  this  is  getting  silly.  Is 
there  anything  to  help  us  in  the 
cave?  There's  a  little  pile  of 
treasure  on  the  floor  which  we 
dropped  a  few  moments  ago, 
but  none  of  that  is  useful  to  us 
now.  Wait,  there's  a  box,  isn't 
there.  How  could  we  have 
forgotten  that? 

EXAMINE  BOX 

YOU  SEE  A  SMALL 
WOODEN  BOX. 

THERE  IS  NOTHING 
UNUSUAL. 

Computers  can  be  very 
pedantic! 

OPEN  BOX 


O.K.  THE  BOX  IS  OPEN. 
INSIDE  YOU  SEE  AN 
AQUALUNG. 

Aqualung!  Underground 
stream? 

GET  AQUALUNG 

YOU  ARE  CARRYING: 
THE  AQUALUNG  THE 
BROWN  GLOVES  WHICH 
YOU  ARE  WEARING 
THERE  IS  ALSO  A  SMALL 
BOX  WHICH  IS  OPEN 
Wait  a  moment,  though,  the 
box  might  be  useful.  We're 
told  it  is  small  but  maybe  it  will 
carry  everything  we  want  to 
take  with  us,  and  maybe  it  will 
float!  Now  we  can  try: 

GET  RING 
O.K.  YOU  HAVE  THE  RING 
WHAT  NOW? 
PUT  RING  IN  BOX 

O.K. 

WHAT  NOW? 
LOOK 

and  we  get  the  same  list  as 
before,  but  with  a  difference  at 
the  end: 

AND  A  SMALL  BOX 
WHICH  IS  OPEN.  IT 
CONTAINS  THE  GOLDEN 
RING 

A  series  of  interlocking 
problems  that  eventually  yield 
results  is  a  typical  format  for 
most   traditional  adventures. 


Churchtown  Close,  Dublin, 
Ireland. 

MICRO  ZX81  Adventure 
Espionage  Island  Problem 
How  do  you  go  down  stream 
without  being  shot  by  a 
patrolling  helicopter  and  how 
do  you  see  in  the  dark  corner 
of  the  aircraft  wreckage? 
Name  Danny  Gray  Address 
Elangeni,  Vicarage  Rd,  Gt 
Hockham,  Thetford,  Norfolk. 
MICRO  Spectrum  48K 
Adventure  Valhalla  Problem 
What  is  the  use  of  the  jewels? 
Name  S.  Dale  Address  131 
Glebe  Rd,  Middlesbrough, 
Cleveland. 

MICRO  Spectrum  Adventure 
Knights'  Quest  Problem  I  am 
at  the  deserted  wasteland  with 
a  horse,  compass  and  a  coiled 
rope.  What  should  I  do  with 
the  rope?  Name  M.  Roberts 
Address  15  Ruffa  Lane, 
Pickering,  Yorkshire. 
MICRO  BBC  B  Adventure 
Castle  of  Riddles  Problem  I 
cannot  map  the  jet-black 
maze.  I  have  waved  the  rod 
and  have  got  red,  orange, 
yellow,  green  and  blue,  but  not 
violet.  Name  PR  Anthony 
Address  37  Hetherington 
Close,  Britwell  Estate,  Slough, 
Berks. 


ADVENTURE  CONTACT 


MICRO  Spectrum  48K 
Adventure  Knight  Quest 
Problem  What  does  one  say  or 
do  to  use  the  boat  moored  at 
the  lake?  Name  Stephen  Lowe 
Address  13  Broadwalk, 
Saltash,  Cornwall. 
MICRO  Vic  20  Adventure 
Space  Hero  Problem  How  do 
you  make  the  dragon  sleep  and 
what  do  you  do  with  the  solar 
power  cell  and  the  ray  gun? 
Name  Martin  Lanni  Address 
71  Valley  Drive,  Kendal, 
Cumbria. 

MICRO  Atari  Adventure  USS 

Sorceress  Problem  How  do 
you  get  past  the  cement  wall  in 
the  space  pirate's  castle?  Name 
John  Firth  Address  White  Lea, 
Rudgwick,  West  Sussex. 
MICRO  Spectrum  Adventure 
Planet  of  Death  Problem  How 
do  you  get  out  of  the  prison 
cell?  How  do  you  get  out  of  the 
shed  with  the  laser?  Name 
S  Laock  Address  8  Seagry 
Close,  Westbury-on-Trym, 
Bristol. 

MICRO  Spectrum  ZX,  48K 
Adventure  The  Hobbit 
Problem  What  or  where  is  the 
carrock?  Name  Mark  Haggett 
Address  1  Tappers  Lane, 
North  Petherton,  Somerset. 
MICRO  ZX81  16K  Adventure 


Espionage  Island  (Adventure 
D)  Problem  How  can  I  cross 
the  swamp  without  drowning? 
Does  the  graffiti  have  any 
significance?  Name  Ross 
Colledge,  Dalkeith,  Lothians. 


MICRO  ZX  Spectrum 
Adventure  Planet  of  Death, 
The  Hobbit  Problem  How  do  I 

escape  from  the  barred  cell  and 
the  goblins'  dungeon?  Name 
Mark     Robertson  Address 


HAVE  YOU  BEEN  staring  at  the  screen  for  days,  or  given 
up  in  disgust,  stuck  in  an  adventure  whose  problems  seem 
insurmountable?  Adventure  Contact  may  be  the  answer. 
This  column  is  designed  to  put  adventurers  in  touch  with  one 
another.  When  you're  stumped  a  fellow  adventurer  may  be 
able  to  help  —  and  you  may  be  able  to  solve  other  people's 
problems.  If  you  are  having  difficulties  with  an  adventure, 
fill  in  this  coupon  and  send  it  to  Adventure  Contact,  Micro 
Adventurer,  12/13  Little  Newport  St,  London  WC2R  3LD. 
We  will  publish  Adventure  Contact  entries  each  month  in 
this  special  column. 


Micro  

Adventure 
Problem 

Name 
Address  


48  Micro  Adventurer  February  1984 


PBM 

PBM  magazine  covers  all  aspects  of  the  growing  play-by- 
mail  gaming  hobby,  with  regular  undates  on  the  computer- 
moderated  commercial  games  as  well  as  details  of  the 
enormous  number  of  "free"  non-commercial  ones.  We  also 
look  at  the  prospects  for  modem  and  cable  gaming  and 
describe  the  American  experience  in  this  area. 

Single  issue:  90p.  Six-issue  subscription:  £5.25. 
Cheques/POs  payable  to  Emjay,  17  Langbank  Avenue,  Rise 
Park,  Nottingham  NG5  5BU. 


THE  WAR  MACHINE 

Published  since  1981,  TWM  is  the  specialist  magazine  for 
micro  owners  interested  in  sophisticated  simulation 
games.  We  carry  reviews  of  computer  wargames, 
adventures  and  other  software,  as  well  as  descriptions  of 
games  programming  techniques  for  the  home  programmer. 

Single  issue:  £1.15.  Six-issue  subscription:  £6.50. 
Cheques/POs  payable  to  Emjay,  17  Langbank  Avenue,  Rise 
Park,  Nottingham  NG5  5BU. 


HAVE  an  adventurous  New  Year!  The  Hobbit  £12.95,  level  9, 
Digital  Fantasia  and  Acornsoft  Adventures'  £8  95' 
Lothlorian,  Fantasy  Quest,  Artie,  Virgin,  A&F  and  many 
more  all  available  at  discount.  (SAE  stating  machine.)  Prices 
fully  inclusive.  Chipmunk  Software,  64  Cherryhill  Avenue 
Dundonald  BT16  OJD. 


The  Foundation  International  Science  Fiction/Fantasy 
Club.  Discounts  on  books,  games,  comics,  computer 
software.  45p  S.A.E.  for  details  to:  D.  Hodson,  104 
Debden,  Gloucester  Road,  Tottenham,  London  N 1  7  6LN. 

TEXAS  TI99/4A  software.  Wide  range  available  from  £3  95 
Send  s.a.e.  for  list.  Apex  Software  (MA),  Swiss  Cottage. 
Hastings  Road,  St.  Leonards-on-Sea,  Sussex  TN38  8EA 


DISPLAY  AD  INDEX 


Addictive  Games   42 

C 

Carnell  Software  26  &  27 

Channel  8  Software  35 

Curragh  Computers   52 

D 

D.G.H.  Software   18 

Digital  Fantasia  30 

Doric  Computers   33 

E 

Eighth  Day  Software  s  47 

Epic  Software   44 

G 

Gemtime  42 

Gilsoft   44 

I 

Incentive  Software  42 

Interface   1  2 

L 

Level  9  Computing   2 

M 

M'crol  6  &  7  &  17 

Misson  Software  40 

Modular  Concept   33 

N 

Nathan   47 

O 

Oltrosoft   44 

S 

S.C.R.  Adventures  38 

Salamander  51 

Shards  15 

R.  Shepherd   20  &  2 1 

W 

J.  Wiley  &  Sons  5 

Wintersoft   15 


r 


Here's  my  classified  ad 

(Please  write  your  copy  in  capital  letters  on  the  lines  below.) 


1 


Please  continue  on  a  separate  sheet  of  paper 


1  make  this  words,  at  20p  per  word  so  I  enclose  £ 


Name 


Address 


Telephone 


Please  cut  out  and  send  this  form  to:  Classified  Department,  Micro  Adventurer,  12-13  Little  Newport  Street 

London  WC2R  3LD 


February  1984  Micro  Adventurer  49 


■V! 


puinnrDOKi 


Tony  Roberts  tests 
your  skill  —  send 
your  answers  to 
Competition  Corner, 
Micro  Adventurer, 
12-13  Little  Newport 
St,  London  WC2R 
3LD 


The  best  20 
answers  we 
receive  will  win  a 
copy  of  Alpha 
Dawn,  which  is 
part  one  of  Star 

Frontiers,  a 
science  fiction 
role-playing  board 
game  from  TSR. 


Solve  mystery 

missing 
runic  rings 


TISCH,  the  black  dragon,  is 
now  sporting  three  rings  on  her 
left  fore-claws. 

Pleased,  both  with  herself 
and  the  work  you  have  done, 
Tisch  now  has  another  task  in 
mind.  She  wants  you  to  start 
on  a  collection  of  ancient  runic 
rings.  The  task  is  fairly 
demanding  so  a  recap  of  your 
past  efforts  might  help  boost 
your  confidence. 

In  the  past  you  have  had  to 
enter  the  hex  to  retrieve  the 
first  ring,  and  escape  both  with 
your  life  and  any  treasure  you 
were  able  to  carry  out  with 
you. 

On  the  way  you  had  to  battle 
menacing  spiders,  hungry 
giants,  a  dragon  and  soldiers. 
But  escape  you  did. 

Still  Tisch's  prisoner,  you 
had  to  find  a  second  ring 
kept  in  one  of  eight  rooms, 
which  were  shrouded  in  a  hazy 
blue  light .  However ,  your 
strength  would  last  only  for  six 
rooms. 

For  the  third  ring  you  had  to 
fight  two  strange  pogg 
creatures  that  were  situated  at 
two  of  the  entrances  of  a  maze 
you  had  to  enter  where  the  ring 
was  hidden. 

The  Pogg's  trails  were 
deadly  and  the  walls  of  the 
maze  were  too  high  for  you  to 
escape. 

The  runic  rings  Tisch  wants 
you  to  find  were  hidden  in  a 
time  before  memory,  placed  in 
guarded    and  booby-trapped 


places  by  the  last  of  her  kind. 

Tisch  has  spent  the  past 
weeks  mind-probing  the  first 
of  these  hiding  places.  She  has 
mapped  out  the  safest  route  for 
you  through  this  maze  to  the 
ring. 

Each  turn  you  must  take  is 
marked  with  a  left  or  right 
arrow  on  the  six  parchments 
shown  here. 

As  you  enter  the  maze  a  deep 
growl  and  clanking  of  metal  on 
a  nearby  rock  startles  you.  The 
parchments  slip  from  your 
fingers. 

Hurriedly  you  gather  them 
together  —  but  what  order 
should  they  be  in? 

As  a  tie-breaker  complete 
the  following  sentence  in  15 
words  or  less.  The  type  of 
character  1  like  to  play  best  in 
role-playing  games  is  .  .  . 

Your  entry  must  arrive  by 
the  last  working  day  in 
February.  The  winners  and 
solution  will  be  published  in 
the  May  issue.  You  may  enter 
only  once.  Entries  will  not  be 
acknowledged  and  we  cannot 
enter  into  correspondence  on 

the  result. 

Due  to  C  hristmas  schedules 

t  he    product  ion    of    t  his 

magazine  was  brought  forward 

by  two  weeks. 

In  order  to  allow  readers 

enough  time  to  complete  the 

competition  we  have  delayed 

until  next  month  winners  and 

publishing  the  names  of  the 

solution.  □ 


50  Micro  Adventurer  February  1984 


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MM 


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Please  send  me   MICRO  SPEECH  units. 

Name  (Print  clearly)  

Address  


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I  enclose  Cheque/Postal  Order  payable  to  "Micro  Speech  Offer" 
or  debit  my  Barclaycard/Access  account  No.  ("T 


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Please  allow  21  days  for  delivery.       12  months  parts  and  labour  guarantee. 

Signed   Ref 


jUj  COMPREHENSIVE  MANUAL 
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